For the Warriors, all oppression is the driving force for progress. Sports competition is a challenge to athletes' own potential, sweating on the field, hammering and hammering off the field, and pursuing to cross the obstacles of body and mind. Insisting on the insistence of "unsustainable", this is the miracle that belongs to every predecessor, not clinging to the return of the legend, not frustrated and frustrated again.
From congenital heart deformities to the king of snowboarding
Sean White
Nationality: United States Sport: Snowboarding
He is the king of snowboarding, from the age of 13 to professional racing, now more than 20 years old, once he also wanted to "leave", and finally "leaving the snow field makes me uncomfortable". He is back to challenge his fourth Winter Olympic gold medal.
Sean White was synonymous with a gifted teenager and triumph, and at first, when he flew in the air, a red curly hair fluttered, and people began to call him "flying tomatoes". White was less than 20 years old when he won his first Winter Olympic gold medal. In addition to his amazing track record in snowboarding, White also has a deep track record on skateboarding, and he is currently the only player to win the X-Games in winter and summer.
White, who has set an impressive record, was once a "patient" who is uncertain whether he can live to the age of 20, which also adds a lot of color to his legendary life. Congenital cardiovascular malformations, if left untreated, only 10% of patients survive to the age of 20. So he had two cardiothoracic surgeries before he was 5 years old and didn't look like someone who could pursue a sports "career."
All along, White was reluctant to mention his experience, "I don't want to make headlines in this way — 'a child with a heart attack wins a gold medal.'" I just want to be myself, sean white, not some 'miracle boy'. It wasn't until after winning the first Olympics that people gradually learned about his experience as a child.
"I'm glad I said it, because there are a lot of families out there right now who will contact me or see me as an inspiration for their children's life possibilities. I really like having such a role myself. ”
He is one of the best snowboarders in the world, one of the most talented skateboarders, not only winning almost every snowboard competition he has participated in, but also developing his own unique style. His skill, style and personality have come together, making him one of the most respected and outstanding snowboarders.
But even White, who is like the "Great Demon King", has also encountered huge setbacks. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, he was preparing to attack the third Olympic gold medal, but he did not get his wish, and he made repeated mistakes and finally lost the game. At this moment, this genius fell to the altar in an instant, as if he had changed back into an ordinary person. The myth that was once insurmountable in the snowboard world doesn't seem so indestructible anymore.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, 32-year-old Sean White "returned as the king" and became the first snowboarder to win three Olympic gold medals. In order to win the championship, he constantly escalated the difficulty of training, challenging his limits again and again, adding new injuries to old injuries, and the most serious one, the whole head hit the U-shaped pool, was seriously injured, and stitched more than 60 stitches.
"The Beijing Winter Olympics is my fifth and last Olympic Games." This time, will the return of the king be staged again?
8 months nirvana reborn
Mark McMorris
Nationality: Canada Sport: Snowboarding
Mark McMorris, the "face value bearer" of the ski world, became a professional snowboarder at the age of 16. In 12 years, he won 20 XL World Games medals and 2 Bronze Medals at the Winter Olympics.
His body was covered with injuries and medals printed on him. In the worst of his injuries, he almost lost his life. But after recovering, he returned to the snow field without hesitation. He said, "The body is healing, and so is the mind." ”
In 2020, many events were cancelled due to the epidemic, but it is still the year mcMorris made history. In January, he won a gold and a silver medal in Norway, and the total number of medals at the World Extreme Games reached 20, surpassing the king of snowboarding, Sean White, to become the first. In 2012, also in Norway, McMurris won two gold medals at the World Extreme Games, the first skier to achieve this feat after Sean White.
The commentators introduced McMorris with "king" and "rule". In that case, he couldn't stop, and as a result, the injury came. Injuries became a part of McMorris's life, as did recovering from injuries. The most serious one was a fracture of his jaw, a ruptured spleen, a fracture of his left arm, a fracture of the pelvis, a broken rib of 6, and a collapsed left lung.
From the ICU to the podium, McMorris completed the nirvana rebirth in 8 months. In November 2017, he won the gold medal at the Beijing FIS Snowboard Jumping World Cup. Three months later, at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he won another bronze medal. Everyone was amazed at how quickly he recovered, including the physically-stimulating facilitator who helped him recover. McMorris said the medical tubes all over his body were gradually unplugged, which cut off many of his negative thoughts. The pain in his body gradually disappeared, and he began to feel refreshed.
The first two times, McMorris was injured before the Winter Olympics, "This time my biggest goal is to skate at the best level within my ability and participate in the Winter Olympics in good shape." ”
Victory over 22 steel nails
Jia Zongyang
Nationality: China Project: Freestyle skiing
Gliding, jumping, spinning, a series of movements ended, and the cheers finally erupted in silence... Jia Zongyang, born in 1991, will once again play in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. In his first three winter olympic games, Jia Zongyang's performance has steadily improved - the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the sixth place; the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, the bronze medal; the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the silver medal.
"Very reminiscent," the difference of 0.46 points, Jia Zongyang and the gold medal passed by, and he himself said that he did not regret, "very happy for himself, to be able to stand here, this four years of practice can be shown, I feel that this is the greatest sense of achievement for me personally." ”
Because of injury, he "disappeared" for three years after the Sochi Winter Olympics, without harvest, failing to pick up any world series medals. The crushing fracture of the tibia, the rupture of the fibula, and the rupture of the medial ankle joint were undoubtedly a major blow to Jia Zongyang. Two steel plates and 22 steel nails were punched on the legs, and they were taken down one after another after a year, because they were screwed too tightly, and there is still a nail that has not been removed, and perhaps he will follow him for a lifetime.
That time for Jia Zongyang, it was a painful experience that he did not want to recall, and every time he took a plane through the security check, the alarm would sound, and he would repeatedly explain to people the existence of those steel nails in his legs. There is also a long, cyclical process of rehabilitation. "In the past, some veteran players went to recover, and they said they were tired and complaining about something, and they didn't understand it at the time, but when they were really immersed, they could understand the pain and irritability." Jia Zongyang said that it was difficult to survive that time, and it was the coach and teammates who gave him confidence.
After several Winter Olympics, for Jia Zongyang, the biggest difference is psychological maturity, training attitude and learning to compromise with the body. "Psychologically, in terms of training attitudes and cognition, there may be more changes." Jia Zongyang said that in the past, it was like in some training, no matter where the pain was, it would be persistent, and he felt that there would be improvement after insisting, and later he understood that this was not the case, and sometimes the more he insisted on it, the greater the damage.
Four years later in Beijing, Jia Zongyang's dream is an Olympic gold medal, which is also the common dream of all Chinese freestyle skiing aerial skillers.
Turn over a tough journey
Jetty Jensrud
Nationality: Norway Sport: Alpine skiing
People will always marvel at the honor that comes with a medal, but it is easy to ignore the pain behind the medal. Jetiy Jensrud is a regular at the Winter Olympics, winning the Men's Downhill Skiing Championship at the Sochi Winter Olympics, the runner-up in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Alpine Skiing Men's Downhill Downhill Race, and the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Alpine Skiing Men's Grand Slalom Runner-up. After an injury that was almost impossible to recover from, Jensrud announced that he would be competing for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing: "I am very excited to represent Norway at my fifth Olympic Games. ”
The 36-year-old, who had previously hinted he would retire after the season, but after a quick recovery, he set his sights on the next Olympic medal.
"It was a pretty long journey after the crash and I went through a 6-9 month recovery period until early January this year, when my medial collateral ligament (MCL) was 'self-healing' and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was significantly improving, and I set my sights on the Olympics. I felt fortunate that my body healed in a way I couldn't have predicted. Jensrud said.
For a time, for Jensrud, the Olympics were no longer a dream, but a goal.
Because of his age, Jensrud thinks everyone is waiting for him to concede, but it also inspires his fighting spirit. "I tend to recognize reality, but not now. It's easy to think I'm 36 years old and my body is scarred and they want me to give up. ”
Returning to be stronger
Sven Van Glen
Nationality: Sweden Sport: Snowboarding
Starting to ski at the age of 7, receiving his first sponsorship at the age of 12, and holding seven World Extreme Games medals at the age of 27, Sven Van Gren does not consider himself a full snowboarding genius, "I have always considered myself a hard-working doer. ”
Injury "immunity" for nearly fifteen years, but before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he was injured one after another, regrettably missed, he stopped from the peak.
In the past three years, he has been trying to get back into form. After winning a silver medal at the 2021 Aspen World Extreme Games, he set his sights on the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Sven rubbed shoulders with medals. Recalling the small mistakes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Sven admitted that winning fourth place or less luck and not having much regret about my performance because I felt that I had done the best within my ability. In August 2016, Sven suddenly fell during a regular jump, his knee twisting as he landed. He spent about a month waiting for the wound to heal, but it turned out that his cartilage had been damaged and surgery was needed to repair it.
But he didn't think that the injury was just the beginning. For the next two years, he stopped and went, battling injuries. On May 10, 2017, he underwent shoulder surgery. On November 7, he injured his foot. On 7 December, the collarbone was injured. On January 18, 2018, the collarbone was injured again and Sven had to undergo surgery again.
In The World Extreme Games in Norway in May 2018, Sven made a comeback and finally ranked 9th, failing to stage the return of the king, but Sven, who returned to the field again, felt that he was stronger than ever.
"I think it's actually more important to play at your best than to actually win a medal. As long as I complete the actions I planned, I will still be satisfied. "He slowly regained his form. At the World Extreme Games in early 2019, he won a bronze medal. The familiar Sven gradually returned.
Regretting missing the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Sven aimed at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. "My goal is to come to the Winter Olympics and play at my best, and if I can, I hope to be on the podium."
Put your shoulders to the test
Matt Graham
Nationality: Australia Sport: Freestyle skiing
When genting Ski Park, which hosts the freestyle skiing competition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, ushered in a low temperature of minus 19 degrees Celsius, far away in a swimming pool at 30 degrees Celsius in the southern hemisphere, Australian star Matt Graham was taking off again and again, practicing skiing skills, looking forward to winning the gold medal on his third Winter Olympic trip.
This is the Australian Olympic Committee's introduction to the country's recent preparations for the Winter Olympics. As the runner-up in the freestyle ski snow skills event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Graham, 27, suffered a clavicle fracture in training more than a month ago. Four days after his injuries, he underwent surgery to "fix a steel plate with 13 screws". Feeling well recovered, he resumed training this month.
"Today I put my shoulders to the test and re-vacated to gradually regain my confidence. I also went through the technical moves that will be performed in Beijing. Thankfully, I didn't leave the snow for too long and felt good today. He said.
"My olympic program is about to start. Still preparing for the Australian summer, it feels weird, but it's also exciting. Graham said that winning a silver medal at the last Winter Olympics was the highlight of his career. His goal at the Beijing Winter Olympics this time is to go one step further and compete for gold.
"I have high expectations for myself and for what I want to achieve at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The injury wasn't ideal, but my experience in previous Winter Olympics was also an advantage for me. He said.
Graham uses the facilities at the Australian Winter Olympics Training Centre in Brisbane. This facility is built above the pool and is used for ski training jumps and landslides. According to reports, when the runners rush down from a high place, the fastest sliding speed can reach more than 70 km / h, do technical actions after vacating, and finally fall into the water, which helps to continuously improve aerial skills.
Courtesy of Visual China IC photo
Source: Winter Olympics
Edited by Geng Yinxin
Process Editor Liu Weili