BARCELONA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- After missing out on the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Spanish speed skater Nil Llop has already set his eyes on the next Games, with the dream of winning an Olympic medal.
The 19-year-old missed qualification for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in the World Cup in Calgary, Canada last December after he committed a foul during the race.
Despite making good times in the 500m event, Llop's dream of becoming the first Spanish speed skater to compete in a Winter Olympics was crushed when he was disqualified after his skate touched a cone.
In the end, the closest he got to Beijing was being held in reserve as an official substitute for the 500m and 1,000m events, and the skater was forced to watch the Winter Olympics from afar.
"The Chinese did a good job and offered us an incredible event. All the sportspeople interviewed said the same, that everything was very professional. I congratulate them and wish I could have been there," Llop told Xinhua in an interview.
The skater from near Barcelona said that missing out on Beijing was a major blow for him and his training team. Yet Llop is one of the upcoming bright lights of Spain's winter sports scene and is not the type of person who gives up easily.
"We already have to start working towards the next Games. I was very close last time and I'll do what it takes to make sure the same thing doesn't happen next time," said Llop at the Prat de Llobregat sports center, south of Barcelona.
Missing out on Beijing is likely to be seen as just a blip in an upward trajectory that has so far seen the skater win gold in the World Roller Games in Barcelona in 2019 and silver in the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.
"I live for this sport. It's like a job to which I devote 24 hours, including resting or eating, and training the best I can. To get the chance to go to the Olympic Games and compete in the World Championships I have to make a lot of sacrifices," he said.
Llop's determination to succeed was put to the test early, when he suffered an horrendous skating accident at the age of 15 in 2018 that left him with a fractured jaw and hands and unable to walk, never mind skate.
"The doctors said I would probably never skate again, which was a big blow for me. I had a bad time and suffered a lot, but through training I managed to get back into shape and won the World Championships in Barcelona," said Llop.
Recovering from the incident that Llop describes as the "worst moment of my life" was not only a physical challenge but also a mental one.
"Where the mental side is concerned I needed help from professionals to get my full confidence back," the skater added.
Llop told Xinhua that overcoming his accident has made him more determined to realize his dream of an Olympic medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
"We've got four long, hard years ahead, but I'll do all I can and give everything in every training session and every competition to get to the highest level," Llop vowed, adding that he is "very proud" of his coaching team to whom he attributes much of his success.
For the moment, Llop has begun 2022 as he means to go on. At the end of January, the speed skater made history by becoming the first Spaniard to win a silver medal at the World Junior Speed Skating Championships held in Innsbruck, Austria. ■
