- Joined
- Nov 19, 2010
Nan Song is China's breakout Men's skating star who is paving the way for a slew of young phenoms to finally come out of that nation after the early success of Lu Chen and then the hard fought glory of Olympic medaling Pairs skaters.
Following his GP success this year, Song has suffered health problems and the scary consequence of competing at high altitude . With World Championships fast approaching, I checked up on his recent state of health and mind.
http://sports.163.com/12/0214/14/7Q7SMPRU00051CAQ.html
Briefly translated:
"Though S/Z and P/T did high altitude training in summer of 2005, young skaters such as Nan Song have not received such training in recent years."
Colorado proved to be a great challenge. Song had severe reactions and substandard performances, and incurred the worrisome incident of having oxygen administered after his LP.
After the National Winter Games, Song was quite ill with high fever and vomiting, even receiving IV for 5 days. He left for Colorado soon after recovery and had instant severe reactions to the high altitude and was unable to sleep due to diarrhea. He wrote in Weibo (Chinese "Twitter") on Feb 8, "All competing teammates please be prepared. This is the way to Hell." But later he joked "Jumping at high altitude is like flying!"
The competition itself was no joke. He made several mistakes in the SP, ending up at 8th. The LP was even more excruciating. He had a pained expression through the performance, his lips turning purple, his legs weak, and his face pale. Even more heart wrenching was that he could hardly stand up after the performance, unable to acknowledge and thank the crowd for some long seconds. Back to his coach, Song was panting hard, recovering only after attendants supplied him with oxygen.
Rest of report is about high altitude training being more important for short track skaters and not a priority for Chinese figure skaters because Sochi is lowland. Other Chinese skaters too suffered adverse reactions to various degrees. Song recovered quickly after hospital treatment and thanked every one on Weibo for their concern.
However, the latest
http://sports.qq.com/a/20120306/000521.htm:
Nan Song has been having nagging problems since 4CC. His right arm just doesn't feel right.
Actually, Song has not been so well since his preparation for the Winter Games. He managed that competition but soon had high fever, needing IV for days, and only returned to training after the Chinese New Year. 4CC followed within half a month without any proper recovery period for him.
The first day in the US was quite OK for Song though his concerned coach only had him do one practice. He started feeling bad the second day, leading to the worrisome scenario of emergency oxygen administration after his LP.
"I can't remember my LP after the first movement. I could hardly stand. SP was bad too. Basically I was exhausted." Toward the end of the LP he could not hear anything, just trying to think of his movements and attempting them. "At the end I didn't know my marks, unable to even answer my coach when he asked me if I wanted oxygen."
Though he recovered quickly after hospital treatment, Song needed three days of rest upon returning home before getting back on the ice.
Since his return from the high altitude, Song has not felt quite the same, lacking energy though he feels he is as strong as before.
Song is looking towards the World Championships after a short adjustment but it has not been a smooth process. his right arm is not feeling well and, according to him, is an injury from repetitious use. "I could feel it before the Winter Games but didn't pay it attention. It is probably exacerbated by my compromised health." He is following his coach's current training program designed to build his mental strength.
When asked what else he needs to solve to compete at Worlds, Song said after some thoughts, "It's actually quite simple. My strength (stamina) is not an issue, so I need mental stimulation as well as bringing my technical standard up to par."
Nan Song will represent China at Worlds, with the pressure of gaining two Men's entries for next year. "I will face it with a healthy attitude. I hope to skate my best but will not let it be a pressure. I had a good GP season and I have the confidence."
My best wishes to Nan. I hope he will be well and healthy to show us his best at Worlds 2012.
Following his GP success this year, Song has suffered health problems and the scary consequence of competing at high altitude . With World Championships fast approaching, I checked up on his recent state of health and mind.
http://sports.163.com/12/0214/14/7Q7SMPRU00051CAQ.html
Briefly translated:
"Though S/Z and P/T did high altitude training in summer of 2005, young skaters such as Nan Song have not received such training in recent years."
Colorado proved to be a great challenge. Song had severe reactions and substandard performances, and incurred the worrisome incident of having oxygen administered after his LP.
After the National Winter Games, Song was quite ill with high fever and vomiting, even receiving IV for 5 days. He left for Colorado soon after recovery and had instant severe reactions to the high altitude and was unable to sleep due to diarrhea. He wrote in Weibo (Chinese "Twitter") on Feb 8, "All competing teammates please be prepared. This is the way to Hell." But later he joked "Jumping at high altitude is like flying!"
The competition itself was no joke. He made several mistakes in the SP, ending up at 8th. The LP was even more excruciating. He had a pained expression through the performance, his lips turning purple, his legs weak, and his face pale. Even more heart wrenching was that he could hardly stand up after the performance, unable to acknowledge and thank the crowd for some long seconds. Back to his coach, Song was panting hard, recovering only after attendants supplied him with oxygen.
Rest of report is about high altitude training being more important for short track skaters and not a priority for Chinese figure skaters because Sochi is lowland. Other Chinese skaters too suffered adverse reactions to various degrees. Song recovered quickly after hospital treatment and thanked every one on Weibo for their concern.
However, the latest
http://sports.qq.com/a/20120306/000521.htm:
Nan Song has been having nagging problems since 4CC. His right arm just doesn't feel right.
Actually, Song has not been so well since his preparation for the Winter Games. He managed that competition but soon had high fever, needing IV for days, and only returned to training after the Chinese New Year. 4CC followed within half a month without any proper recovery period for him.
The first day in the US was quite OK for Song though his concerned coach only had him do one practice. He started feeling bad the second day, leading to the worrisome scenario of emergency oxygen administration after his LP.
"I can't remember my LP after the first movement. I could hardly stand. SP was bad too. Basically I was exhausted." Toward the end of the LP he could not hear anything, just trying to think of his movements and attempting them. "At the end I didn't know my marks, unable to even answer my coach when he asked me if I wanted oxygen."
Though he recovered quickly after hospital treatment, Song needed three days of rest upon returning home before getting back on the ice.
Since his return from the high altitude, Song has not felt quite the same, lacking energy though he feels he is as strong as before.
Song is looking towards the World Championships after a short adjustment but it has not been a smooth process. his right arm is not feeling well and, according to him, is an injury from repetitious use. "I could feel it before the Winter Games but didn't pay it attention. It is probably exacerbated by my compromised health." He is following his coach's current training program designed to build his mental strength.
When asked what else he needs to solve to compete at Worlds, Song said after some thoughts, "It's actually quite simple. My strength (stamina) is not an issue, so I need mental stimulation as well as bringing my technical standard up to par."
Nan Song will represent China at Worlds, with the pressure of gaining two Men's entries for next year. "I will face it with a healthy attitude. I hope to skate my best but will not let it be a pressure. I had a good GP season and I have the confidence."
My best wishes to Nan. I hope he will be well and healthy to show us his best at Worlds 2012.
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