The Paper's reporter Chen Jun
In the gymnastics training hall of the Anshan Military Sports School, gymnastics coach Zhang Liping took out an old photo of her and five children standing side by side, of which Xu Mengtao stood in the middle and Kong Fanyu stood on the far left.
Coach Zhang at that time could not imagine that the group photo he treasured with his disciples would one day be associated with the final of the Winter Olympics.
Four years ago in Pyeongchang, Xu Mengtao and Kong Fanyu competed in the freestyle ski women's aerial skills, and Kong Fanyu won a bronze medal.
Four years later, on February 14, at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Kong Fanyu and Xu Mengtao joined forces to attack - in the end, Xu Mengtao won the gold medal, and Kong Fanyu won the sixth place despite his mistakes.
Poster design by Wang Luyao
The ski sisters are out of the same door
Kong Fanyu and Xu Mengtao, both natives of Anshan, Liaoning Province, initially practiced gymnastics with Zhang Liping.
Zhang Liping remembers that Xu Mengtao was only 4 years old when he entered the team, and Kong Fanyu, who was 3 years younger than Xu Mengtao, was only 5 years old when he entered the team, and the sisters showed their athletic talents very early and won honors for Liaoning Province in gymnastics competitions, and fate seemed to bind the two firmly together.
In 2002, Xu Mengtao's father sent her to chen Hongbin, then a teacher at Shenyang Sports Institute and head coach of the national team, to start a career in freestyle skiing, and it was also that year that Kong Fanyu was picked up by the Heilongjiang provincial team and practiced freestyle skiing.
Time flies, and now Xu Mengtao is already the elder of the four dynasties of the Chinese Winter Olympic delegation, and won a valuable silver medal for the Chinese team at the Sochi Winter Olympics; the younger Kong Fanyu is later than Xu Mengtao, the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics is her first Olympic Games, but the 24-year-old Kong Fanyu won the bronze medal with her big heart, which is her best result in international competitions.
Kong Fanyu.
In Zhang Liping's eyes, Kong Fanyu and his sister Xu Mengtao have the same characteristics, "They all belong to players with very good will quality, training is never lazy, and the homework assigned by the coach will definitely be completed well." ”
To this day, she still remembers the feeling of seeing Kong Fanyu for the first time, "At that time, she was only 5 years old, but when she looked at it, she was a piece of material for sports, her body was particularly well-proportioned, her understanding was good, and no matter how difficult the technical movements Xiao Yu could complete very well." ”
As Zhang Liping said, compared with Xu Mengtao, who has been famous for a long time, Kong Fanyu, although slightly less famous, is also a big scene player.
Few people know that the bronze medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics was actually won by Kong Fanyu with an injury - in 2017, Kong Fanyu caused a rupture of the posterior cruciate ligament of the left knee during a training session, only a year away from the Winter Olympics, and she chose conservative treatment.
Kong Fanyu in the game.
"Since you have insisted on this point and are still one last step away, why not continue?" Although no one knew whether he could go to Pyeongchang at that time, I thought it would be a pity if he had given up halfway. ”
Although Kong Fanyu participated in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as she wished, her knees were not enough to support her to complete the difficult movements of the three-week platform, when Kong Fanyu also said: "I am both satisfied and regretful, and I am satisfied that I can get a medal in the injury match, which has exceeded expectations." Unfortunately, I can't come up with all the difficulty and make the most perfect performance. ”
Kong Fanyu won the bronze medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Beijing Winter Olympics, I am ready
After the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Kong Fanyu underwent reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation of the posterior cruciate ligament, and at that moment her eyes were locked on the Beijing Winter Olympics.
"I feel lucky to be able to compete with the Olympics on my doorstep, and this time I definitely want to show my best self."
This Winter Olympic cycle, Kong Fanyu is constantly adjusting his state. On December 2, 2021, she won the championship with 89.53 points at the Freestyle Ski Aerial Skills World Cup in Luka, Finland; on January 6, 2022, she won the third place at the Freestyle Ski Aerial Skills World Cup in Lerrei, Canada; on January 13, 2022, she won the silver medal at the ISBL Freestyle SkiIng Aerial Skills World Cup in The Deer Valley Station in the United States...
In the two months before the opening of the Olympic Games, Kong Fanyu achieved good results in consecutive competitions, and she proved that she was ready with her actions.
As an enlightenment coach, Zhang Liping is destined to lock in the performance of the two disciples, and in her opinion, there is nothing happier than seeing the disciples join forces to collect gold and silver for the Chinese delegation.
"Peach is already the 'Elder of the Four Dynasties', I believe that her hard work and efforts for so many years, I wish Peach peach to win the gold medal in this Winter Olympics, and realize her Olympic gold medal dream." Although Xiao Yu is young, he also has the strength to impact the medals, and he also wishes Xiao Yu good luck. ”
Editor-in-Charge: Ascendas
Proofreader: Liu Wei