The picture shows a group photo after winning the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Team Championship at the World Championships (the second from the left is Zhang Yu) Photo by Zhang Mingjun
China News Service, Zhengzhou, October 18th: From toy guns to 10-meter air rifles, Zhang Yu’s father dictates his daughter’s road to winning the championship
At the 2022 International Shooting Federation Shooting (Pistol) World Championships in Cairo, Egypt, Zhang Yu, a girl from Henan, who participated in the World Championships for the first time, represented the Chinese team in the women’s 10-meter air rifle team competition, 10-meter air rifle individual event and 10-meter air rifle individual event. In the mixed team competition of rice air rifles, they won one gold and two bronzes.
Zhang Yu, a “post-00” Chinese female shooter, was born in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, and was selected into the list of shooting athletes in the Chinese sports delegation for the Tokyo Olympics. He will be admitted to Fudan University in 2022.
Zhang Yu won the grand prize this time, but Zhang Yu’s parents, who were thousands of miles away, did not get the good news right away.
Zhang Yu’s father, Zhang Mingjun, explained in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com on October 17 that on the one hand, he was worried that contacting her would bring her psychological pressure; on the other hand, because Zhang Yu’s mother was nervous, the family did not dare to watch the game.
Zhang Mingjun is a retired soldier from a field army in Xinjiang. When Zhang Yu was a child, he often told some army stories to inspire his daughter to serve the country when she grew up.
“Perhaps because of this, she behaved carelessly since she was a child. She didn’t like dolls, but she liked toy guns.” Zhang Mingjun recalled.
When Zhang Yu was 11 years old, she was walking in the park with her father and came across a balloon shooting booth. After a while, Zhang Yu said to his father that he wanted to give it a try. Zhang Mingjun agreed without thinking, and explained that his daughter should pay attention to three points and one line when shooting and aiming.
Unexpectedly, it was this accidental shooting that Zhang Yu fired the “first shot” of her life.
Zhang Mingjun recalled that in the first round, Zhang Yu shot ten “bullets” and burst nine balloons; in the second round, Zhang Yu hit all ten “bullets”, and the shop owner also gave a prize. This scene happened to be seen by the staff of the local sports bureau, and immediately sent an invitation to the father and daughter to try the shooting training range.
This test became the beginning of Zhang Yu’s career as a shooter. According to Zhang Mingjun’s recollection, his daughter was training during the summer vacation, wearing a thick leather jacket and practicing repeatedly on the training range, “I saw her sweat dripping down, and there were towels and trash cans next to her, and she took a closer look. , the trash can is full of sweat from the twisted towel, it looks more distressed, but she has been insisting.”
Once again, when Zhang Mingjun picked up his daughter home, he quietly asked Zhang Yu, “Niuniu, are you tired? If you’re too tired, we won’t practice.”
Zhang Yu replied, “Dad, I like guns, and I want to continue practicing!” This year, Zhang Yu was only 12 years old.
With hard training and the care and guidance of his parents and coaches, Zhang Yu grew up rapidly and stood out among his peers. At the age of 17, he was awarded the title of “Athlete” and entered the national team.
Standing on a higher stage and facing more intense competition, Zhang Yu, a “post-00”, has experienced the frustration of losing the game and the pressure of competition alone.
On weekdays, Zhang Mingjun could feel one or two from the phone call with his daughter Zhang Yu. He asked his daughter again: “If the pressure is too high, what if we don’t practice?”
Zhang Yu still replied: “Dad, my goal is to climb, and I will climb in the direction of the goal!”
At that moment, Zhang Mingjun deeply felt that Zhang Yu had really grown up. The child who used to play in the park has grown into a climber who keeps making progress.
In recent years, Zhang Yu has become more determined, facing difficulties, and has repeatedly achieved good results. In 2021, she was selected into the list of athletes in the shooting event of the Chinese sports delegation at the Tokyo Olympics, representing the Chinese team in the Tokyo Olympics shooting mixed team 10-meter air rifle competition, and now she has stood on the world‘s highest podium.
Talking about his daughter’s future, Zhang Mingjun said: “I believe that the girl has been able to cope with the pressure properly when she has reached this height, and then everything will take its course. My mother and I actually want to tell the girl that when you are tired outside, you are at home. Two more days.”
Zhang Mingjun told reporters that Zhang Yu eats the fried cabbage and seafood made by his mother every time he goes home. Although training and competition meals are well guaranteed outside, Zhang Yu still misses the taste of his mother’s cooking. (Finish)Return to Sohu, see more