"Elder of the Four Dynasties" Jia Zongyang in the game. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
On the evening of February 16, in the beijing Winter Olympics freestyle skiing men's aerial skills final, Jia Zongyang made a mistake in the second jump of the first round of the final, failed to qualify for the medal round, and ended the Winter Olympics journey with 7th place. The background of the exit of the "Four Dynasties Elders" is the glorious moment of the coronation of teammate Qi Guangpu, there is no blame and snub, and everyone at the Aerial Skills Venue of Genting Ski Park applauds him.
At this moment, there are only tributes and thanks, for these 4 years of the veteran, for the 20 years of the veteran.
"Iron Man"
At the moment of the mistake, Genting applauded as the greatest comfort
Previously, Jia Zongyang left the deepest impression on the outside world was the night of February 10 — his self-blame and tears. In the air skill mixed team final, because of Jia Zongyang's mistake in the second round, the Chinese team aiming to win the championship finally lost to the United States team and won the silver medal. The "Elder of the Four Dynasties" blamed himself in the heaviest words, "I have betrayed the trust of the team and my teammates, and I have also failed the people who support the air skills project." ”
But just as Xu Mengtao comforted his teammates that "a forward roll (referring to Jia Zongyang's mistake) can't stop you from continuing to be excellent", Jia Zongyang, known as "Iron Man", adjusted his mentality as quickly as possible, stepped out of the haze, and advanced to the final with the second place in the men's aerial skills qualification tournament.
The nickname "Iron Man" bears witness to his dedication to the Chinese Aerial Skills Project. In 2015, Jia Zongyang was accidentally injured during training, with a crushing fracture of the tibia in both legs, a ruptured fibula, a ruptured medial ankle joint, and 22 steel nails and two steel plates were implanted in both legs during surgical treatment.
On February 16, the first jump of the first round of the final, Jia Zongyang, who appeared in the penultimate place, jumped 123.45 points, but the competition in the second jump was more intense, and "Iron Man" made a mistake in this jump, scoring only 88.69 points and withdrawing from the medal competition early.
Looking at Jia Zongyang's face full of disappointment on the big screen, the audience, volunteers, and Chinese reporters were all clapping vigorously, hoping to give him a little comfort. Jia Zongyang said after the game: "It is difficult to describe the feelings in my heart at that moment. At that moment, my 4 years of hard work and preparation were over, and although I didn't jump successfully, the audience and teammates gave me great comfort. I am very grateful to everyone, to everyone who watched this game, to every friend who applauded me on the spot. ”
Jia Zongyang made a mistake and regretted not being able to qualify for the medal battle. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
Laugh in tears
The biggest regret is that I was not able to accompany my brothers to the final
The runners who missed the medal round carried their skis and left early. In the long mixed interview area, there are many media waiting for Jia Zongyang. The Beijing News reporter noticed Jia Zongyang's emotional change - tears, because of mistakes, and when he saw Qi Guangpu stage a perfect jump in the interview area, he smiled happier than anyone.
"There will definitely be regrets." Jia Zongyang, who had tears in his eyes, was smiling, "Why don't you laugh?" Although I failed, the champion was still ours. I hope you can remember this glorious moment and remember the moment that showed the energy of our team. ”
This is his 4th Winter Olympics, and this is the 4th time he has stood on the field of the men's aerial skills final of the Winter Olympics, "Enough is enough to reflect the value of my life." ”
Jia Zongyang's regret is not because he failed to achieve better results, but because he "failed to accompany his teammates to the final field." In the past 20 years of working on this project, he and Qi Guangpu have come all the way and moved forward side by side. Jia Zongyang knows that Qi Guangpu is not easy, "He is the first player in China to jump this action (5.0), he has been practicing for ten years. In the previous 3 Winter Olympics, he failed to successfully complete this move, but today's last jump, he succeeded. I've seen him grow little by little, and in the past 20 years, I've spent more time with him than with my parents. Seeing him finally successfully land, my feelings really can't be described in words. Except for the two of us, no one knew how difficult the preparation for these 4 years was, and at that moment, it finally succeeded. ”
Not on the podium, Jia Zongyang is still a hero. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
Next?
After bowing down to thank him, the veteran left a weeping back
Will there be another Winter Olympics? Jia Zongyang smiled sadly, "I haven't thought about this problem at the moment, I may take a break for a while and deal with the injury." He was reluctant to mention injuries too much because "every athlete has an injury." "Ask some happy questions." Jia Zongyang instructed reporters.
Although Sun Jiaxu and Wang Xindi failed to advance to the final, in the eyes of their predecessors, their growth rate has been very fast, and in time they will become outstanding players; the happy topic may be gratitude to the motherland, even during the epidemic, the air skill team can train normally, and no day is wasted.
At the end of the interview, the on-site reporters applauded Jia Zongyang together, "You are already very good! He smiled and took a step back, bent down in thanks, and then turned. After a few steps, he covered his face and cried bitterly, and slowly disappeared into the night with the support of the staff.
Beijing News reporter Zhou Xiao Liu Chen
Edited by Wang Chunqiu Proofreader Yang Xuli