Cui Xiaotong, Lu Yang, Zhang Ling and Chen Yunxia won the second Olympic champion in rowing in China-a hard-won gold
2021-07-29 15:44:17Source: People’s Daily
On July 28, Chen Yunxia, Zhang Ling, Lu Yang, and Cui Xiaotong (from left to right) crossed the line and raised their arms to celebrate.Photo by reporter Wang Xiaguang
The wind is blowing at the Tokyo Sea Forest Aquatic Arena. Before departure, the four girls seized the last time to discuss tactics. They got on the rowing boat and got along for more than two years day and night, and the tacit understanding with each other no longer needed words. There is only one goal: Chong!
For a race distance of 2000 meters, they only took 6 minutes 05.13 seconds, but the Chinese rowing team waited for 13 years. In the rowing field on July 28, the women’s quadruple scull champion belonged to Chinese players, and the world remembered their names: Cui Xiaotong, Lu Yang, Zhang Ling, Chen Yunxia.
This is such a precious gold medal. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the women’s quadruple sculls achieved a breakthrough in China’s rowing Olympic gold medal zero. Nowadays, Chinese girls have once again swayed the dazzling “Chinese Red” in the field of rowing with the outstanding performance of refreshing the world‘s best results.
The girls cheered and shouted loudly, letting go of their inner excitement. When the five-star red flag was raised, they sang the national anthem with all members of the Chinese rowing team watching the match. This scene brought tears to many people’s eyes.
In this game, the Chinese team has obvious advantages. Take the lead, and the paddle speed is much higher than the opponent. In the TV screen of Okinawa, no other boats can be seen. In the end, the Chinese team won the championship with 6.23 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
Since forming the team in 2019, they have maintained an unbeaten record in the world arena, and have never even fallen behind in a game. The superior strength makes this gold win look no surprise. But Lu Yang said, “Only we know how difficult it is behind the scenes.”
Chinese rowing started late. After winning gold in the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese rowing team missed the gold medals in both the London and Rio Olympics.
Where is the way forward? The Chinese rowing team took the women’s quadruple sculls as a breakthrough, and the famous rower Zhang Xiuyun coached the women’s sculls. The girls practiced from dawn to dark every day, from shore ergometer to water surface training, and spent the best time in training.
The four girls with an average height of 1.8 meters each have their own advantages and strengths. Lv Yang and Zhang Ling participated in the Rio Olympics, Cui Xiaotong switched from single oars, and Chen Yunxia won the single scull gold medal in the Asian Games. To bring them together requires not only hard training, but also mutual trust. “Sitting in a boat, only by thinking one place in your heart can you move your energy to one place.” Chen Yunxia said.
From the first oars into the water, it has become the norm for the girls to standardize the movements, polish the technical details, and temper the teamwork. Day after day, the wind blows and the sun is shining, but thinking of the dream in their hearts, the girls walk firmly and steadfastly every step of the way.
The Chinese rowing team has gradually found its direction. Introducing scientific training concepts, complementing physical shortcomings, “one person, one boat, one plan”… a complete set of “combined boxing” paved the cornerstone for further success in rowing.
In the 2019 season, the Chinese women’s four scull combination won the World Championships, World Cup and other championships in one fell swoop. “Everyone’s thinking has gone from wanting to win and being afraid of losing, and now they feel that they can win as soon as they start.” Zhang Xiuyun said, self-confidence improved with grades. In the second leg of the 2021 World Cup, the girls’ championship results were shortened by more than 9 seconds from the World Championships two years ago.
In this Olympics, due to the typhoon, the women’s quadruple scull final was postponed, but the girls still maintained a high degree of concentration. The night before the game, they also kept a good training diary as usual. “We are not afraid of pressure, nor are we afraid of any opponents.” Zhang Ling said, everyone remembers the coach’s advice-to fight the tough Olympic Games, we must be bold and confident, do ourselves well, and plan the process.
Sweat-watered flowers bloomed at the moment of winning, and the women’s quadruple sculls made a good start for China’s water sports. Standing on the shore after the game, the four girls put their shoulders on their shoulders and made a “first” gesture. “I thought about winning, but I didn’t expect to win so beautifully.” Cui Xiaotong turned to his teammates and said, “We are awesome!”
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