A smiling duo sits in front of the camera when the video connection opens to Oslo. Urheilu has asked a Chinese skier for an interview Qiang Wang’s and his Norwegian coach Lars Christian Åbolin.
They are also accompanied by Qiang’s wife. He knows English and is helping his partner if he needs translation help.
Right at the beginning, it’s good to say why Qiang’s interview is interesting. The reason goes back to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where the Chinese sports apparatus spared no expense in order to succeed.
China got the best Winter Games medal haul in its history from its home Olympics: 9 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze. However, the investment of hundreds of millions of euros did not produce new medal sports.
The sprint skier Qiang, who is now interviewed, came closest to the medal pace. He skied semi-final speed at the Olympics, but was disqualified by the jury due to a crash in the quarter-finals.
However, immediately after the Olympics, Qiang reached the sprint final at the Lahti World Cup. A week later, in Drammen, he achieved the first podium finish in Chinese cross-country history after finishing second.
The achievement is even tougher considering that it was only the tenth World Cup sprint of Qiang’s career. At the time, many wondered what kind of moves Qiang would perform as he gained more competition experience.
After spring 2022, however, Qiang has not been seen at the World Cup once. The reason for the disappearance was found in China’s winter sports machinery, which was largely dismantled after the Olympics.
Qiang, who trained in Norway, was told to go home in September 2022, just as the Norwegian pilot Åbol had been appointed as the head coach of the Chinese national sprint team.
– It was a political decision. When the Chinese sports minister changed, the team had to return to their home country and think about the future again, says Åbol.
The decision was a tough one for the Chinese skier.
– I want to compete in Europe against good skiers. In China, I don’t have a training opponent who is better than me, Qiang says.
A year later, Chinese skiing is still in a state of confusion. The national cross-country skiing team has still not been put together.
The cooperation between Åbol and Qiang is no longer based on the bottomless coffers of the Chinese Olympic Committee, but funding for the activity comes from China’s largest skiing club, Chongqing Ski Club. It has sent Qiang and four other Chinese skiers to Oslo.
Poor training conditions
Qiang spent last winter in Harbin, located in northern China, where the conditions are not suitable for skiing training.
– In that part of China, the winters are very cold, which makes skiing difficult. Often training has to be done while running indoors, Qiang says.
The skier had to make do with remote coaching, as Åbol was only able to watch the training there in the summer. The two met near the Mongolian border in Daihai, which is located 1,850 meters above sea level.
– The conditions are bad for roller skiing and not very good for running training either. The roller rink is 2.5 kilometers long and the terrain is very hilly. We had to reduce the training hours, because training at those heights on such a hard track is not good in the long term, says Åbol.
Åbol tried to get Qiang to Norway already by July, but due to bureaucracy, the trip did not take place until September 3.
– Since then, we have been able to train well, Åbol is content to describe the preparation for the upcoming season.
According to Åbol, the duo’s cooperation works well in close coaching, even though Qiang’s English is still lacking.
– I don’t like studying. I let my feelings speak. In the exercises, English is ok. Otherwise, it will be difficult for me, Qiang says.
The coach still gives positive feedback on the accumulation of language skills.
– You already speak English much better than a year ago.
– Speaking in exercises is easier because you can use your hands to communicate and show what you mean. Qiang learns English from YouTube videos and Instagram, says Åbol.
The Norwegian national team in support
Qiang is currently training with the Norwegian national sprint team. When the daily resistance is among the world’s elite, the intensity of the exercises is on a different level than in China.
– My body is tired from last week, Qiang admits.
– I trained in Norway for 40 days last year. In the future, I need longer training periods in Europe.
The coach signs the evaluation.
– Qiang is used to winning everything in China. Thanks to that, he has good self-confidence. On his best days, he can beat almost anyone from the top of the world, but the current basic level is still not enough.
– Now that he gets to train with the Norwegian national team skiers, a kind of return to the surface of the earth is underway, says Åbol.
Qiang has time to spend 11 weeks in Norway, after which the World Cup starts in Ruka on the last weekend of November. Åbol says that he is looking forward to the opening of the Cup.
– I am confident about the time trial. The batch phase is a question mark because there has been so little skiing in the group, says Åbol.
This deficiency was visible in the spring of 2022, when Qiang ran into his competitors at the Olympics and the Lahti World Cup.
Just a blip in the World Cup
In the coming winter, Qiang would have plenty of experience skiing in a group. There are 13 individual sprint races on the World Cup calendar this season, which equals last season’s record.
However, in Qiang’s case, the pleasure is short-lived.
– Qiang’s visa expires on December 1st. We are trying to get him a couple of weeks more time so that we can still get to the World Cups in Östersund (December 9-10) and Granåsen (December 15-17). After that, at the latest, there is a return to China, says Åbol.
Since it is a season that does not include international competitions, Chinese skiers are obliged to participate in the China Games organized at the end of February.
According to Åbol, the games in question are important not only for the Chinese sports management but also for the sponsors. The duo prepares for the competition by returning for 1.5 months to the same training environment as in the summer.
– The China Games this season in China is an event comparable to the World Championships. After that, we will stay in China and start preparing for the next World Cup season and the World Cup in Trondheim, says Åbol.
Qiang says that he is fully aiming for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. After that, your skiing career is probably over.
– Next year, my intention is to train a lot in Norway and focus on the World Championships. I am now 30 years old and I will focus on skiing for the next two years, says Qiang, who is a soldier by civilian profession.
During the interview, Qiang resorts to his wife’s translation help a few times. He also does the same when asked what his goals are for the World Cup and the Olympics.
– Podium. Podium.