"In addition to talent, there is also love" - the growth path of Winter Olympic champion Gu Ailing
One of the youngest freestyle ski gold medalists in the history of the Winter Olympics; the first Winter Olympic champion in the Chinese women's snow sports... Gu Ailing dreamed of the Beijing Winter Olympics and shone on the Shougang Ski Jump. Xinhua News Agency reporter interviewed Gu Ailing's family and friends for the first time, showing the growth path of a "genius girl" from the fragments of her training, study and life.
On February 8, champion China's Gu Ailing awarded the medal at the women's big jumping ceremony at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Photo by Ju Huanzong, Xinhua News Agency
"I want to represent China at the Beijing Winter Olympics"
On July 31, 2015, Beijing and Zhangjiakou won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Gu Ailing, who was in the middle of the summer vacation, returned to Beijing and joined the crowd celebrating that day.
Li Xiaoming, deputy director of the Beijing Winter Sports Management Center, recalled, "Someone asked Gu Ailing that day, 'Do you want to participate in the Winter Olympics in the future?' Gu Ailing, 11, firmly said she hoped to represent China at the Beijing Winter Olympics. ”
Participating in the Olympic Games is the dream of every athlete, and for Gu Ailing, it is even more exciting to be able to participate in the Winter Olympics held in her hometown. On June 6, 2019, Gu Ailing announced through personal social media that "Chinese freestyle skier Gu Ailing registered".
Gu Ailing is often referred to as the "Beijing Girl", and when answering reporters' questions at the post-match press conference, Gu Ailing switched freely between Chinese and English. Speaking authentic Beijing dialect made the Chinese reporters present feel particularly cordial and proud.
"It's the New Year, and I've eaten a lot of dumplings lately, and I haven't eaten The Peking duck yet." Gu Ailing said humorously at the press conference, "Talking and talking, I am hungry." ”
For the first memories of Beijing, Gu Ailing once said in an interview: "I was 2 years old when I first returned to China, and I have to return to Beijing every summer since then. I still remember my friends who lived on the 3rd and 7th floors of our building and went downstairs to play games with them every summer vacation. ”
In the future, she will certainly be a "big god" with a bright future.
Gu Ailing first came into contact with skiing when she was 3 years old, thanks to the fact that she had a mother who loved skiing.
"Soon, Ailing's speed has caught up and surpassed me, and she doesn't slow down, especially enjoys the feeling of speed, unlike us adults, sometimes worried about danger or want to skate a little more, and will control it, but Ailing has been accelerating, all the way to the end." 」 Mother Gu Yan said.
"When I was eight years old, I joined a ski team and was the only girl in it, and I went home and said to my mother, I want to go to the Olympics!" For the starting point of the Olympic dream, Gu Ailing still remembers it vividly. The mother's response at this time was - "Come on! ”
On February 8, China's Gu Ailing competed in the final of the freestyle ski women's big jump at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ga
For many years since 2013, the Nanshan Ski Resort in Miyun, Beijing, and an indoor ski resort in Shunyi have become training bases for Gu Ailing Holidays. Many "snow friends" trained and grew up with Gu Ailing, and also felt the extraordinary athletic talent of this "genius girl".
As one of the earliest "snow friends" in China to contact freestyle skiing, Lu Jian, chairman of Beijing Nanshan Ski Resort, saw unlimited potential from Gu Ailing. In the summer of 2013, Lu Jian took Gu Ailing to contact four water boarding sports such as ropeway water skiing and SUP paddle boarding, and practiced freestyle skiing skills together in the indoor ski resort. Lu Jian sighed at that time: "Flat front flip, back flip, side flip like jump rope as easy, too dexterous, she will certainly be a promising freestyle ski 'big PRO' (big god)" in the future." ”
"The first time I met Ailing, her technical movements were still the same as those of ordinary children, and the most difficult action she could do at that time was 360-degree flip, but she was especially willing to challenge more difficult moves." Cui Yecheng, a part-time ski instructor who trained with Gu Ailing, witnessed her transformation from a ski enthusiast to a professional athlete. "After four or five years of professional training, her level has really improved by leaps and bounds."
"Gu Ailing's balance ability is particularly outstanding, she learns things very quickly, and can quickly understand the essentials." Because she usually has to go to class, she can only practice on weekends, and the movements she has learned can be picked up every other week. Gu Jun, the general director of the documentary film "Ice and Snow Fireworks", told reporters about her impression when she was shooting Gu Ailing, "If you practice a little more than others, she will produce results and make special progress." ”
"Not only in skiing, but also in other sports, Gu Ailing also showed superior athletic talent." Lu Jian's wife Xu Yining said, "We have come into contact with Tennis coaches when AiLing was a child, and he once said, 'If Ai Ling practices tennis, he will definitely become a world-class player in the future'!" ”
"The secret is focus and love"
Unlike professional sports students, Gu Ailing not only has to complete daily ski competitions and training, but also complete high school at the same time. In her own words, she has always been a high school student, and emphasizes being a "full-time high school student."
"I'm not the kind of student who takes 'online classes' or goes to a teacher alone to take 'one-on-one' culture classes, but I'm an ordinary student who goes to school normally." Gu Ailing said that for a long time, she could only go skiing on weekends or holidays. Gu Ailing has calculated that in 2019, her time on the snow field, including training and competition, is only about 65 days, and the rest of the time is in school.
On February 8, China's Gu Ailing was presented at a souvenir ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Xu
When it comes to how to balance learning and skiing, Gu Ailing says the secret is focus and love.
"I was very attentive to skiing on my ski days, and I didn't want to ski when I was in class, so I was very attentive, so it would be more efficient. The more important thing is actually the love, and I am very happy every time I go on the slopes. Sometimes my mom said I couldn't go skiing without washing the dishes, and I did it right away. ”
Gu Yan is sometimes shocked by Ai Ling's focused spirit.
"From a very young age, Ai Ling seems to have thought a lot of problems very clearly, to do a thing, she set herself up very early, do two hours today, do two hours tomorrow, and must be able to complete according to plan." After doing it, she played without any psychological burden. Sometimes we adults can't do that. ”
The spirit of concentration and proud talent have made Gu Ailing never leave his studies on the road to becoming a top athlete - all A grades in high school, completed high school courses in advance, and achieved nearly full scores in the SAT (commonly known as the "College Entrance Examination" in the United States) in 2020, and successfully obtained an admission letter from Stanford University.
"I love skiing and I became an athlete. I love fashion, so I went into a fashion sport. I loved taking classes, so I went on to college. Gu Ailing said that focus is to be 100% committed, and it is enough to do one thing a day.
"I'm not trying to beat others, I'm trying to show my best selves"
As Gu Yan expected, after Gu Ailing won the Olympic championship, the most said sentence was - "I am not going to beat others, I want to show the best of myself." ”
On February 8, China's Gu Ailing competed in the final of the freestyle ski women's big jump at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi
Before completing the final jump in history, Gu Ailing temporarily ranked third. "I was in contact with my mother, and she suggested that I do a relatively sure move so that I could fight for a silver medal. I told her that my goal was to show myself, and I was going to challenge it. ”
Gu Ailing decided to give it a go, and finally successfully completed the 1620-degree turn that had never been jumped in an official game.
"Maybe people don't believe it, but before the last jump, I wasn't nervous at all because I wasn't stressed." Gu Ailing said, I just want to break my own boundaries and show our strength and spirit.
In the view of director Gu Jun, Gu Ailing has shown a strong ability to resist pressure. "I've been watching the finals and it's amazing to be able to play with moves that I've never done before in a game."
Like all athletes, Gu Ailing has been plagued by injuries. In the 2021-2022 season, during a training session ahead of the World Cup in slope obstacle courses in Stubai, Austria, Gu Ailing accidentally fell and was injured.
"It was close to the game, and Ailing himself was particularly anxious. In fact, she especially wanted to compete with the high-level athletes in this competition, but for safety reasons, we gave up this competition. Gu Yan said that in the next World Cup schedule, Gu Ailing won consecutive victories and extended the fiery state to the Beijing Winter Olympics.
In the next competition of this Winter Olympic Games, Gu Ailing will also participate in the slope obstacle course and U-shaped field competition. People have reason to expect that Gu Ailing, who has surpassed himself and realized his dreams, will bring greater surprises to everyone.
Source Xinhua News Agency
Edited by Meng Ziwei
Process Editor Wu Yue