BUDAPEST, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Jing, the Chinese head coach who led the Hungarian short track speed skating team to historic success, is leaving Hungary after 10 years, the Hungarian skating federation announced here on Tuesday.
"On behalf of the skating community and all Hungarian sports lovers, the Hungarian National Skating Federation thanks the coach for her outstanding sports results and unforgettable experiences," the federation said on its official site, with a big smiling portrait of the Chinese coach and the words in large font: "KOSZONJUK, LINA!" (Thank you, Lina!)".
Zhang arrived in Hungary in the summer of 2012 and became the national team's professional advisor. Following the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, she worked as a head coach.
Zhang played an outstanding role in the historic success of Hungary's skating sport, guiding skaters to win Hungary's first Winter Olympic gold medal and the first individual gold medal in the discipline.
In recognition of her outstanding achievements, she was awarded the Coach of the Year Award at the Athlete of the Year Gala in Hungary in 2019.
After the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, she received the Officer's Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civilian category), and following the Beijing Olympics she was awarded with the Hungarian Order of Merit, Middle Cross.
The Liu brothers, Shaolin and Shaoang, Zhang's most famous athletes, won their first Winter Olympic gold medal in PyeongChang 2018, and Shaoang also finished on the top of the podium in Beijing 2022.
Zhang will return home and meet new challenges in her native China, according to the statement.
As for her replacement, the new leader of the Hungarian team will be Akos Banhidi, who has participated in the recent period as team leader, while Jae Su-chun, a South Korean specialist, will remain a member of the coaching staff along Nicholas Gooch, a British coach, who will be the head of the women's team. ■
