Born in an ordinary farm family to Olympic champion, "post-00" shooting athlete Yang Qian: Youth is used to struggle

In autumn, Yang Qian can often be seen busy on the campus of Tsinghua University.

"Usually classes in the morning, special training in the afternoon, and then physical training..." More than a year after the end of the Tokyo Olympics, Yang Qian's life has long returned to a familiar rhythm, shooting and reading are interspersed.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Yang Qian, born in 2000, stood out. She first won the first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the women's 10m air rifle event, and then won the 10m air rifle mixed team gold medal with her partner Yang Haoran. One Olympic Games, won two gold medals, the fledgling Yang Qian left a deep impression. Outside the arena, Yang Qian's studies have not fallen. "Academics and careers are like two legs of a person. Whether it is for the development of the profession or for the future life, the two legs will walk more steadily and farther. Shooting athletes and Tsinghua students, both identities must be worked hard to do well. Yang Qian said.

"The competition is more about competing with yourself"

The shooting hall of Tsinghua University is the main training venue of the school shooting team, and at the same time undertakes the course tasks of shooting teaching ordinary students. One sunny afternoon, the reporter interviewed Yang Qian here. Dressed in athleisure dress, she has just finished her physical training.

On July 24, 2021, Yang Qian won the first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics, which became a household name for a while. Many images of that day are still deeply rooted in her mind, "Especially when I remember when I raised the national flag and played the national anthem, my heart was surging and I was very proud, and this feeling will never be forgotten." "Many viewers remember Yang Qian's vigorous image, wearing a little yellow duck hairpin on her head, standing on the podium cute... On the Olympic stage, she left many unforgettable moments.

As a young player, Yang Qian was not a favorite to win gold before the Olympics, and only finished sixth in the qualifying round. But when it came to the final stage, Yang Qian dared to fight and always ranked high, and before the last shot, she was 0.2 rings behind the first-ranked player Galahina. In the crucial decisive shot, Yang Qian hit 9.8 rings, 0.9 rings ahead of her opponent, and achieved a reversal in one fell swoop, taking the gold medal into the bag, and setting a new Olympic record with a total score of 251.8 rings.

"Shooting is a competition against the opponent, and the competition is a competition with yourself." Yang Qian introduced that in the competition, she will try not to look at the ranking of the players, but focus on her own results, strive to improve every detail, and shoot every shot. In her usual training and matches, her attitude is also to strive to improve the process, and not pay too much attention to the result.

It was this focus on the process that allowed Yang Qian to seize one opportunity after another. In March 2020, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed for one year, and the national shooting team decided to reorganize the selection of athletes. Yang Qian, who entered the national team late and had less experience in the competition, won all the championships in four consecutive high-intensity selection competitions and was selected into the Chinese shooting team team for the Tokyo Olympics with the first place in the overall points.

"Since you insist, you must go all out"

From an unknown student-athlete to an Olympic gold medalist, Yang Qian's growth trajectory shows that as long as she is willing to struggle, the future must be full of hope.

Yang Qian was born in an ordinary farmer's family, and her relationship with shooting began when she was 10 years old. This test tests concentration and stability. When she enrolled in the shooting team of Ningbo Sports School, she built seven shells, "others can usually only build three or four." The first impression of enlightenment coach Yu Lihua was that her eyes were "aura, focused, confident and courageous."

To practice shooting well, talent alone is not enough. "Shooting is a lonely and boring project. The training clothes of more than 10 pounds are stiff in winter and sweltering in summer, often practicing for hours, holding an air rifle motionless. Yang Qian said that when she first started to contact professional training, she also withdrew, but with the encouragement of her parents and coaches, she persevered.

"Since you insist, you must go all out." Every training session, Yang Qian completed conscientiously, and her results improved by leaps and bounds. In 2014, Yang Qian scored 40 rounds and 399 rings in the 10-meter air rifle competition of the Zhejiang Provincial Games, reaching the world's advanced level.

After that, Yang Qian was specially recruited into the Tsinghua shooting team and studied while training at Tsinghua Affiliated High School. In order to keep up with her studies, she often stayed in the shooting hall to study after completing her training, often late at night.

"When most high school students are working hard for the gaokao, I need to juggle two things, training and studying almost seamlessly." Yang Qian believes that although it is hard, embarking on the road of integration of sports and education means that there are more possibilities in the future, "Youth is used to struggle, and hard work will definitely be rewarded." ”

"Strive to win more honors for the motherland"

As a two-time gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Yang Qian has received a lot of attention, but she said that she will continue to work hard in the future to create better results and harvest a more exciting life.

In the 26th "China Youth May Fourth Medal" selection announced on May 3 this year, Yang Qian was on the list; On September 7 this year, Yang Qian was selected as the best female athlete in the "Top Ten Sports" in Zhejiang Province in 2021... She admits that compared with the past, she now participates in some social activities, but "honor belongs to the past."

Step off the podium and start from scratch. On the field, Yang Qian is no longer the role of "shocker", and many young players younger than her are gradually emerging. In the recent World Championship trials, Yang Qian ranked fourth in total points and failed to qualify for the World Championships. She said that this result made her feel stressed and challenged, and also showed that she needed to put in more effort and sweat in future training. At the same time, she also welcomes the continuous emergence of younger athletes, "which shows that our country has a strong reserve of shooting talent." In the future, I will work hard with them to strive for more honors for the motherland. ”

For Yang Qian, the next most important competition is next year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, where she hopes to represent the Chinese team "at home". She says she has to shoulder the burden and show her form. At the Olympics, no athlete has successfully defended her title in the women's 10m air rifle event, and looking forward to the Paris Olympics in two years, Yang Qian said that she will redouble her efforts to represent the Chinese team and achieve good results.

In terms of academics, Yang Qian has not relaxed, and she is currently in her fourth year of college, revealing that she has plans to study for graduate school. "I hope that through continuous learning, I can broaden my horizons, gain knowledge, and become a young person in the new era of all-round development." Yang Qian said.