Ranking first in the gold medal list of the Paralympic Games, the number of medals exceeded the sum of the number of medals won by our province in previous Paralympic Games, and for the first time, volkswagen and Special Olympics projects achieved full coverage and won the "Sportsmanship Award"... At the 11th National Paralympic Games and the 8th Special Olympics, the Shaanxi delegation used the results of the competition and the "double harvest" of spiritual civilization to win the glory for the fathers and elders in their hometown at their doorstep, and added color to the land of Sanqin.
In the face of the shortened preparation time, the severe challenges of the epidemic and the special difficulties of the disabled, the Shaanxi delegation insisted on training hard and worked hard, and while successfully completing the task of preparing for the competition, it showed the people of the whole country the good appearance of the vast number of disabled people in our province who are unremittingly improving themselves and working hard.
On the evening of October 22, the Shaanxi delegation entered the opening ceremony of the 11th National Paralympic Games and the 8th Special Olympics.
New models bring new challenges
In May 2018, with the consent of the State Council, the National Games and the Special Olympics were held in Shaanxi for the first time in the same year, which is a new milestone in the mode of hosting the Special Olympics.
"When we heard the news, we were both excited and nervous. It is exciting that the country has entrusted us with such a sacred mission, and how to achieve results that are compatible with the status of the host. Today, recalling the feelings at that time, Wang Jilin, director of the Provincial Sports Management Center for the Disabled, still can't calm down for a long time.
Held in the same place in the same year, it means that the preparation cycle has changed from the previous 4 years to 2 years; participating in most of the competitions means that it is necessary to form a team of 35 projects; the sudden outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic at the critical moment of preparation has led to the forced suspension of training in some projects... In the face of many difficulties, the Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation once felt "a lot of pressure".
As long as the thinking does not slip downhill, there are always more ways than difficulties.
The Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation attaches great importance to the preparation and training of each team, and has held many special meetings to promote the work of preparing for the war, arranging training venues, food safety guarantees, etc., and solving the worries of athletes and coaches.
In order to complete the participating tasks, the Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation has determined the idea of "provincial team school office, provincial team and city office, provincial key, municipal characteristics, and joint team" after repeated research and judgment and accurate mapping, as well as the preparation policy of "consolidating advantageous projects, upgrading potential projects, and filling blank projects".
The high-altitude geographical environment is suitable for athletics training, so the provincial paralympic track training team settled in Yulin; during the epidemic period, the Tongchuan Vocational (Sports) Skills Training Center for the Disabled, which is far away from the urban area, will be used as a training base for Dong Feixia, Wu Chunyan, Xia Jiangbo, Zhou Feifei and other Paralympic, World Championships and Paralympic champions; jointly form teams with Zhejiang, Guangdong and other sister provinces to cooperate in collective projects; actively declare to the China Disabled Persons' Federation new projects such as blind archery, shooting (flying saucer), rowing and other new projects; consolidate swimming, athletics, table tennis, wheelchair fencing , archery and other advantageous projects... A series of effective measures have laid a solid foundation for the Shaanxi delegation to achieve excellent results.
Shaanxi athlete Dai Yunqiang (left) competes in the 11th National Paralympic Games and the 8th Special Olympics Athletics Marathon on October 26.
Complete a gorgeous metamorphosis on your doorstep
At the 11th National Paralympic Games and the 8th Special Olympics, the Shaanxi delegation won 149.5 gold medals, 95 silver medals and 62 bronze medals in the Paralympic Games, ranking first in the gold medal list, the number of medals exceeded the sum of the medals won by our province in previous Paralympic Games, 8 people broke the world record 9 times, and won 52 Special Olympics gold medals, 45 silver medals and 14 bronze medals, ranking the top of the gold medal list.
Carefully combing through this glittering report card, it can be found that the new means and hard measures adopted by the Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation during the preparation period of "blowing chaff to see rice and seeing vegetables under the knife" have achieved obvious results. At this Special Olympics, the Shaanxi delegation played well in traditional advantages such as swimming, athletics, archery, shooting, table tennis, wheelchair fencing and other traditional advantages, winning a total of 94.5 gold medals; there were many highlights in 13 collective sports such as wheelchair basketball, seated volleyball, and blind gateball, with a total of 35 gold medals; Volkswagen and Special Olympics not only achieved full coverage for the first time, but also achieved the best results in history; the age structure of the team was more reasonable, with more than 40% of the participating athletes, and the average age of the athletes was 21 years old. The youngest is only 13 years old.
Disabled athletes in our province can complete a magnificent transformation at the doorstep of their homes, thanks to the long-term attention and support of the provincial party committee and the provincial government for the cause of the disabled. In accordance with the top-level design of "synchronous deployment, synchronous planning, synchronous implementation and synchronous advancement", the Organizing Committee of the 14th Games and the Special Olympics implements the operating mechanism of "two brands, one set of personnel, one post and double responsibility", and puts the preparations for the Special Olympics and the 14th Games in the same important position. The Special Olympics and the 14th Games simultaneously held landmark events such as the countdown to the first anniversary, 200 days, and 100 days, and important links such as torch relay, emblem and mascot design, and theme slogan collection invited disabled people to participate in all aspects, creating an atmosphere of care for and respect for the disabled in the whole society, and encouraging the majority of disabled athletes to fight for collective honor.
Struggle is the brightest undertone of youth
From 1 gold medal at the last Special Olympics to 5 gold medals this year, in just two years, 16-year-old Yan'an girl Li Gege has grown into an indispensable main player in the provincial paralympic swimming team through hard training.
Freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke, healthy athletes want to master these three swimming styles are difficult, and it is even more challenging for Li Gege. Talent is not enough, work hard to make it up. In the preparation, Li Gege has become a well-deserved "labor model" in the team with the intensity of training for 4 hours a day, 6 days a week.
"Not being lazy and not afraid of hardship is very rare for a young player. When practicing different swimming styles, Li Gege often practiced until he was exhausted. Cao Jie, deputy leader of the provincial disabled swimming team, told reporters that in order to control weight, Li Gege changed his three meals a day to two meals a day or one meal, and he also had to carry out diet control while adhering to high-intensity training every day. In the end, Li Gege used the sweat spilled on the training ground and the gym to exchange for applause on the Paralympic Special Olympics.
Compared with the champions, those who tried their best but did not make it to the podium are also worthy of admiration. In the rowing arena of this Paralympic Games, Zhang Ying, a Shangluo girl who won the silver medal at the Rio Paralympic Games, was not able to stand on the podium, but she was recognized by the whole team with her persistence.
The provincial paralympic water rowing team was established in January 2020, and Zhang Ying joined the team more than a year later than other teammates. Friends and relatives advised Zhang Ying to "stop tossing and turning." What everyone can't understand is why Zhang Ying, who has won the honor and has a job and a family, why he has to live a stable life, but also continue to train in the case of changing the competition. "Zhang Ying wants to do her best at the Paralympic Games on her doorstep to thank those who have helped her." Si Xinrong, coach of the provincial disabled water rowing team, told reporters.
In order to catch up with the progress of training, Zhang Ying asked Si Xinrong to accompany himself to morning exercises every day. As a result, Zhang Ying's training time reached 9 hours a day. In the process of preparing for the battle, in order to find a suitable training base, the provincial disabled water rowing team has successively traveled to Tongchuan, Baoji, Weinan and other places. Even so, no one in the whole team complained.
The sword blade came out of the grinding, and the plum blossom fragrance came from the bitter cold. Li Gege and Zhang Ying are representatives of the arduous preparation of disabled athletes in our province. It is precisely by relying on this hard work and tenacity that the majority of disabled athletes in our province have written touching new era answers in various arenas with the spirit of "mission on the shoulders, struggle with me". (Reporter Tian Ya)
Source: Shaanxi Daily