"Skiing should be a fun thing, not a hard practice thing."
When Gu Ailing said this, it was still her usual bright tone, still with her trademark cheerful smile.
Her primary goal in the Winter Olympics was to enjoy the games and the process, and she did. "Incidentally" accomplished his second goal: to win the gold medal.
It is such a light weight, such a free swing, the obvious gap in the score of the game, it seems to confirm Gu Ailing's identity as a "genius" once again.
But such a genius who has set many historical records is really just "playing"? Perhaps we should first see how Gu Ailing's definition of "play" is different.
Gu Ailing has already taken down three "golden piers".
Eat and sleep
When people are used to seeing a full-fledged Gu Ailing, they tend to forget that she is not Superman, just an 18-year-old girl.
"It's actually very tiring." After winning her second Winter Olympic gold medal, she was full of excitement and did not shy away from revealing her current state of exhaustion.
Such exhaustion is not surprising. Participating in the Winter Olympics for the first time, Gu Ailing participated in the three events of freestyle ski jumping, slope obstacle course and U-shaped field, and all three projects reached the final and stood on the podium, and the intensity and intensity of the competition can be imagined.
From the opening ceremony to the final match, there are training competition tasks every day, and there is no day's rest time. No wonder when it comes to what he wants to do now after the game, Gu Ailing mentions only two things - eating and sleeping.
Eating, she is ready to eat a meal of shabu lamb with her family on the night of the championship, and share the joy and ease after winning the gold race.
After that, she just wanted to "collapse" into the bed: "I just want to sleep in the small dark room for a while, turn off the phone, just lie down, and don't look at anything." ”
During the Winter Olympics, Gu Ailing said that she did not sleep as well as usual, "a little excited."
Now that he has won gold in his last project and the strongest item, this excitement has reached its peak. Even when the second skate score was still one step away from the championship, Gu Ailing was already a little unable to control his emotions and wiped his tears.
After the game, she was a little embarrassed to talk about tears, "It's embarrassing. ”
Gu Ailing knew in his heart that such a gold medal was actually not as easy as it seemed. Due to the strong wind on the scene during the competition, Gu Ailing, who is taller, was also greatly affected, and even "blew" by the wind to an unexpected height during the slide, which made her feel frightened.
This is also why, after her consideration, the third skate finally decided not to challenge the difficult moves, but to choose the safety of the easy movements.
"No matter how much you train, this is the Winter Olympics after all, there are only three chances, and it is likely that there will be all kinds of problems or accidents, such as the wrong mood on the day, or the effect of training is not good."
"This is the first time I've opted for a difficult 'victory slide' after securing the championship in advance, and I feel like I deserve it." Gu Ailing said.
Gu Ailing gave the gold medal to her grandmother.
Because I know that effort is the most important thing
The relaxation after completing the dream is what Gu Ailing deserves.
She won 2 gold and 1 silver at her first Winter Olympics, and her name has been deeply written into history:
The first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Winter Olympics; the youngest athlete to win three medals at the Winter Olympics; the youngest Winter Olympic medalist in the women's freestyle skiing U-shaped event; the first world champion in the history of the event to win the Winter Olympics; the first female athlete in the history of freestyle skiing to win the winter Olympic + World Championship + X Games + World Cup season overall in the same event...
This is the achievement of 18-year-old Gu Ailing in his fledgling age, and people have long had a word for such a role, that is, "genius".
She always pushes the limits with a relaxed smile and faces the pressure, but the reality is that no matter what kind of genius, no one can be promoted to the top by talent alone.
"I don't know if I'm a genius, but I think genius is a very, very small part, not even important."
"I think genius is to let you learn to ski faster in the first year, but when it comes to doing difficult moves, when you have to go to the gym to train, when you have to prepare mentally, more than 99% of the part is hard work." 」 Gu Ailing, who has always loved to laugh, also became serious when he said this.
Cute Gu Ailing.
How did Gu Ailing become a champion? Like other champions, there is countless sweat behind them.
During her physical training last summer, once a week, half marathon, four hours a day at the gym, there was no coach to make such a training plan for her, just because she felt she should practice.
Usually when training, Gu Ailing is always the first to go to the training ground and the last to leave. Sometimes even if there are 8-10 hours of magazine shooting work a day, she insists on exercising at night. Gu Ailing said that what he did was to constantly push his limits.
"I really did all the effort I could make. Because I know that effort is the most important thing. ”
The tears after winning the championship also come from the effort of each day, "Crying, because I paid so much, and finally really did it." It's like holding your breath for a long time, and finally letting out a big breath —finally, finally..."
Gu Ailing has a table at home where all the medals are placed, but she said that the medals of the Beijing Winter Olympics have a special treasure point for herself.
"I'll hang all my Olympic race uniforms and numbering suits in the house, and I'll have a place above the windows where I can hang Olympic medals, a place I left behind for years." As she spoke, she smiled triumphantly.
Gu Ailing in the game.
The harder you work, the happier you are
Is there a contradiction between day-to-day self-discipline and hard work and the "enjoyment of sports" that Gu Ailing has always advocated?
For most people it may be, but at least in Gu Ailing's eyes, the answer is no.
Skiing is her own choice, taking a professional ski path is her own choice, and the stress and high-intensity training she has to endure in order to become a champion are also her own choices.
Gu Ailing said that in her skiing career, the mother who has been with her only provides emotional support and will not give specific decisions, and her grandmother never pays attention to her achievements, but reminds her again and again to "pay attention to safety".
No one "forced" her to win the championship, no one "stipulated" that she had to be the champion.
Just like after stepping off the podium, Gu Ailing said, "I am not a person who likes to compete, nor is I a person who values gold medals." It sounds a bit "Versailles", but it is Gu Ailing's real mentality.
"Skiing should be a fun thing, not a hard practice thing." When it comes to his expectations for the promotion of skiing, the first thing Gu Ailing wants the world to know is how "fun" the projects he is engaged in are.
"No matter how tired I train, it's all for fun, no matter how much pressure I play, it's all love, it's all about doing what I want to do, it's for myself, it's about meeting more friends through sports, it's all about being exposed to different cultures, so don't be stressed." She said.
From trying soccer, basketball, ballet, piano, surfing, running, rock climbing and other hobbies as a child, to choosing to practice freestyle skiing at the age of 8, to becoming a professional skier, to now standing on the highest podium of the Winter Olympics... Gu Ailing said that his gold medal is not for the ideals of others, but for his own goals.
It is precisely because of this that high-intensity training, even injuries such as fractures and concussions, have not stopped her steps.
"I worked hard, but the process didn't feel hard, I enjoyed it, even if I didn't get a medal, I was satisfied, because in the process, I have learned a lot."
Life is for play
A tired and happy road to pursue his dreams, Gu Ailing came to the end point he wanted to achieve.
But because of this feeling of becoming a "superstar", she is not quite used to it.
Even if it has become the focus of network attention and the darling of various businesses, Gu Ailing still can't change the bluntness of her "Beijing girl".
The competition and training time was too tight to eat, so she ate leek boxes and buns while being interviewed by reporters. When referring to her supporters, she is reluctant to use the word "fan", "I prefer to call it 'my friends'".
After the U-shaped venue final, someone asked her about the panda hat she was wearing with an ice pier, and she immediately began to "show off": "Cute, huh?" Isn't that great? And it's extra warm. Now it's not that the ice pier is very precious, so I will wear it to 'show' it, which is also very fun. ”
Sometimes, this bluntness even seems a little surprising. When a reporter asked a question at the post-match press conference, Gu Ailing's first reaction, who likes fashion, was not to answer the question, but to coldly praise the reporter's dress: "Your hat and clothes are quite stylish." ”
And when a reporter asked a "conventional question", that is, what kind of thoughts will be on the next Winter Olympics, Gu Ailing directly laughed: "Or please let me go, first let me enjoy this Winter Olympics." ”
Yes, in the mind of this 18-year-old girl who made a lot of history for her debut in the Winter Olympics, there is no long-term "career plan". Even freestyle skiing, which has already won three Winter Olympic medals, has not yet been "fortunate" to be the cause she will dedicate her life to.
She was admitted to Stanford University with nearly full marks before, but because the Winter Olympics postponed her enrollment, she is ready to start her college life this year - "Stanford University will not choose a major until the second year, and has two years to experience different courses." ”
"Now I like physics, and I like writing very much, so the gap is quite large, and I don't know ." Gu Ailing laughed again.
She's a skier, a model, and a college student, and she's been writing books lately, having a diary habit of years..." I don't want to be labeled too much, I'm a skier now, but I can do something else tomorrow." ”
What will be the way forward? "When the time comes, see what you like, do it." At the end of the interview, Gu Ailing waved his hand and ran away briskly.