By Huang Shan
China.org.cn staff reporter in Harbin

As one of the top speed skaters, Lee Sang Hwa's target is victory at next year's Olympics. She will face a strong challenge from the Chinese skaters.

Lee Sang Hwa, who twice smashed the Universiade record, left the home spectators disappointed by beating Chinese hopefuls Yu Jing and Ren Hui in the final of the women's 500 meters speed skating at the 24th Winter Universiade in northeast China's Harbin.

However, the South Korean teenager, who turns 20 next week, said she hadn't come in expectation of the gold medal, but in the hope of achieving a personal best. "Winning really came as a surprise to me," said Lee briskly. "I'm happy that I skated well and made no mistakes."

Although considered as the favorite for the event in the absence of China's top skater Wang Beixing, Lee successfully shifted the pressure onto her Chinese rivals by keeping a low profile. "I might rank higher than my opponents, but they enjoyed home advantage. That's why I wasn't thinking too much about winning the gold medal," explained Lee. "On the other hand, the Chinese were carrying a burden of expectation around winning the first gold of the Games, and that may have impaired their performances."

Lee's remark was echoed by the silver medalist Yu Jing. The Harbin native admitted she was a little bit nervous during the competition since she had never paired with Lee before. "I was so desperate to skate well that I made a mistake on the first curve of my second race," said Yu disappointedly.

Lee first emerged as a rising star when she was only fourteen years old. She finished fifth in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin where the Chinese veteran Wang Manli won a silver in the women's 500 meters speed skating. "She is a skating talent," recalled Wang. "She has a terrific mental strength compared to the Chinese skaters, which enables her to adjust quickly to different competition tracks."

"I don't think she has made any marked improvement in skill since 2006," added Wang. "By that I mean she is always in a good form – among the top skaters in the world."

Lee said she once thought of quitting skating because of the hard and tedious training. But she discovered ways to relax. "I like listening to music when I'm jogging or stretching. After training, I like playing computer games," said Lee with a smile.

In addition to the Winter Universiade, Lee also has next month's World Single Distance Championships and 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics in her target. "I've been telling myself to keep calm and do my best in every race, but Vancouver is the Olympics," said Lee. "I know I will face a stronger challenge from the Chinese skaters once Wang Beixing returns to the squad. But my goal is the Olympic gold medal."

(China.org.cn February 20, 2009)