Photo found on Pixabay
By Navin Krishnan (@NavinKthespear) — Reporter
Going for gold in the cold won’t be the only obstacle in Beijing’s Winter Olympics this year.
The shadows of past Olympiads reinforced as a reminder of the significance of evolving from hometown heroes to international superstars.
As the world’s greatest athletes once again have taken center stage, the cascading of the bright lights with fireworks, the dynamic thrill and the roar of the crowd are just the tip of the iceberg for the Winter Olympics.
The vibrant thirst for action from the spectators from around the world will have to settle for the briny consolation of televised games that started Feb. 4.
This is a tradition risen from the innovation and ashes of the ancient Greeks.
For the second time in the 21st century, Beijing plays host to the greatest accumulation of sports competition known to humankind.
Promising to execute every Winter Olympic Game event safely and effectively is a tough act to juggle, even for the Chinese government.
However, China has reason to believe in their strict measures. Beijing will play host to 2,871 athletes from 91 countries. The U.S. will participate in 15 sports.
The U.S. holds the record for the most Olympiads for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing with 224 participants.
Rachel Llanes, a former San Jose native and Jr. Sharks standout, is active and participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
For Llanes, what she wanted to do after graduating from Gunderson High School was clear: play at the intercollegiate level.
“She was by far the most intense and focused Jr. Shark that I coached in my career,” said San Jose Jr. Sharks former head coach Rod Romanchuk.
“I think the older she got, she fell in love with the sport more,” Romanchuk said.
Llanes looks to bring the U.S. a gold medal and immortal pride to her hometown of San Jose.
Asian Pacific Islander and California native Chloe Kim looks to accomplish something no woman has done before in the Winter Olympics: repeat as a gold medalist.
“It feels so unreal,” Kim said.“I worked so hard for four years to get back here and do this again.”
Kim will participate in the snowboarding halfpipe competition.
Both Kim and Llanes are of Asian descent.
Llanes is Filipino-American but will go by the name “Ni-Lin” according to East Bay Times journalist Curtis Pashelka.
The hurdle all Olympic athletes will be tested for this year isn’t just based on performance, but a formidable adversary in COVID-19.
BBC journalist Kai Wang reported that for every three COVID-19 deaths in China reported, the U.S. tallies 2,500 prior to the beginning of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Beijing officials originally aimed to implement a ‘sealed bubble,’ similar to that of the NBA bubble in 2020 in Florida.
COVID-19 prevention measures will be thoroughly followed through before, during and after events, according to Wang.
However, to the ultimatum of athletes, performing in what could have been a hiatus for competition if the Chinese government had nodded their head, participating is worth the risk.
Llanes and Kim not only have to compete for gold at the highest level in sports, but their situation in Beijing is a disaster waiting to happen.
In a drastic period for humanity, China aiming for a ‘zero COVID-19 policy’ is another phraseology of theirs attempt to create an image of a perfect world in time for the Winter Olympics.
COVID-19 testing will be executed and monitored daily for media access members and participants in the events.
While China welcomes winter athletes from around the world, Wang insists whatever milestone China’s athletes tried to surmount in terms of performance will once again be overshadowed by the ultra-tight restrictions by the Chinese government and their officials.
“Foreign spectators are barred and tickets are not on sale to the general public,” Wang said.
Tighter than, Wang says, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – by far.
China has reinstated a lockdown for cities where COVID-19 has been present and mandated a quarantine period for all travelers.
While it may seem like a drastic goal to host 109 events with several different sports, China once again bolsters their guts and flare for the dramatic.
Llanes and Kim’s audacity to compete without fans in potentially dangerous events betokens their will to compete.
Romanchuk didn’t need to elicit Llanes’ passionate fire to burn past her competition for years to come.
Llanes’ mother, Tess Llanes, expressed her faith in her daughter.
“I told her wherever you go,” Tess Llanes said, “I know you will be the best you can be.”
“[Llanes] could play at the next Olympics too,” Romanchuk joked of the San Jose native. “I wouldn’t put it by her (to play) eight years from now because she’s still loving it.”
While Llanes and Kim go for the gold this year, the city of San Jose and the U.S. will follow in admiration of their uncanny bravery in leading the world into the final stage of combating COVID-19 – world wide remission.