Yuya Oikawa, a rising Japanese star skater, said that China is a lucky place for him upon his arrival in Changchun on Thursday with the Japanese Winter Asiad delegation.

"This is my first time to Changchun, but I have competed in two World Cups in China and I won golds twice in 100m events," said Oikawa. Although he did not do very well in both of the 500m events, he took China as a "lucky place".

The 26-year-old placed fourth in the men's 500m speed skating in the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006, which was beyond the expectation of the Japanese team, and became a national idol of the sport because of his nice personality.

"I will of course do my best in the games in order to meet the others' expectation," said Oikawa, the "Captain of the Athletes" of the Japanese delegation. "I am looking for a 'nervous' atmosphere."

The biggest challenge to Oikawa in the 500m event comes from his teammates, including Hiroyasu Shimizu, 32, the champion of the Nagano Olympic Games in 1998 and 21-year-old world record holder Joji Kato.

The speed skating events of the 6th Asian Winter Games run from January 29 to February 1.

Source: Xinhua