Zhao Weichang

After making his own rudimentary skates from wood and wire as a child Zhao Weichang went on to become one of the greats of Chinese speed skating. Zhao was in his early teens when he competed in the local Changchun school skating competitions in 1963. Three years later he began to train professionally, but was hampered by the lack of indoor rinks in China, often training on frozen lakes in the winter. From 1972 to 1981, Zhao won the national men’s all-round speed skating title 11 times — including four National Championships, two National Winter Games, two National Ice Games, and one National Sprint Championships title — and broke more than 20 national records in the process.

Zhao was also a regular in the national team during the decade, competing at five editions of the World Allround Speed Skating Championships (1972-1976) and five editions of the ISU World Sprint Championships (1972, 1974-1976, 1979), in addition to finishing as the runner-up in the 500 metres at the 1975 World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Oslo.

After a lengthy break from sending athletes to the Olympics due to political reasons, a newly formed National Olympic Committee for China was recognised by the IOC in 1979. A delegation of 24 athletes went to the Winter Games in Lake Placid, with Zhao selected to compete in three speed skating events and having a best result of 24th in the 1,000 metres. Two days before the Games started Zhao was also chosen to have the honour of being the flagbearer for the People’s Republic of China at the Opening Ceremony. He retired from the sport shortly after the Olympics but continued to work as a regional coach. Zhao’s legacy with the Games continued in 2022 when he was selected as one of the torch bearers within the stadium at the Opening Ceremony at the Beijing Olympics.

Personal Bests: 500 – 39.19 (1979); 1000 – 1:19.90 (1979); 1500 – 2:01.97 (1981); 5000 – 7:41.7 (1978); 10000 – 16:16.88 (1979).