Wu Dajing: After sliding across the finish line

On November 1, Beijing had entered late autumn, and at eight o'clock in the morning, Wu Dajing appeared in the studio on time. During the rare holiday, he still got up early, in order to meet the little girl who had "lost at the starting line and won at the finish line" before, "race right away, don't delay the child's training". Even if he is not in the arena, Wu Dajing's face still reveals a tenacious undertone, which comes from 18 years of constantly challenging his own limits.

This man, who claims to be "responsible for age", could have "successfully retired" in 2018, leaving a back that could not be reached; But he chose to fight for another four years, with a recurrent back injury and an injured meniscus, "If it wasn't in Beijing in 2022, I might have chosen to give up earlier." If an athlete's desire and mission is to win at the finish line, what happens after that?

In this issue of "Let Me Think About It", Errong took over the confidential task proposed by Wu Dajing, and chatted with him about what happened after sliding across the finish line.

"Age bears" Wu Dajing

"As long as the country needs, as long as my body allows, I will always stand on the ice." After the closing short track speed skating competition of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Wu Dajing posted such a Weibo, but Wu Dajing at this moment is different from Wu Dajing four years ago.

He admits that his mentality has changed, "Before I longed, now I enjoy." After the end of 2018 (Winter Olympics), I can actually give up, but it is not easy to participate in my home Winter Olympics, if 2022 is not in Beijing, I may have already chosen to give up. At that time, I was still eager for the Beijing Winter Olympics, but now I am more about enjoying, enjoying training and enjoying competition. ”

39.584 seconds, at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Wu Dajing broke the world record to win the men's 500m short track speed skating championship, which was the only gold medal of the Chinese team. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he was pinned on high hopes, but he failed to achieve his wishes. His regrets were written on his face, and he remembered it even more in his heart, "The next Winter Olympics, I want to turn this regret into motivation and make up for it." The difference is that it will no longer be pressure on him, his goal has become more simple, "I don't know if I will win the championship after four years, but to be on the field after four years is already successful for myself."

Beyond mentality, the more obvious change comes from age. Not a face value, not a funny responsibility, 28-year-old Wu Dajing now believes that he is the "age responsibility" of the short track speed skating team. He does not shy away from the impact of aging, and in the face of this irreversible reality, he is not much negative, "Then be more scientific and refined in training, and make the cycle and plan more perfect." ”

"A lot of people say he can't do it? Can't practice? What's up? I think this may be too much for me. Now Wu Dajing decided not to listen to what the outside world has to say, he said that he knows what he wants, knows where he can shine, and knows how he can make the most of his responsibility. Perhaps, as Wang said, "As long as he stands there, everyone will catch up, and there will always be a head." ”

Hard-earned "talent"

At the age of 10, he went on the ice for the first time and fell 107 times; was recruited into the national team "unconventionally", but could only be a sparring partner for the women's team. The former Wu Dajing never imagined that he would one day become the "head" of others.

Before winning his first gold medal, Wu Dajing had no idea how far he was from the prefix "champion". "When I was a junior player, there were too few opportunities, the competition was too fierce, and you couldn't skate a lot of teammates on the team, so you could only tell yourself that you were about participating."

Wu Dajing, who "focuses on participation", calls himself "stupid bird flies first", and he once skated for two hours at the Jiamusi outdoor ice rink at minus 30 degrees Celsius at 4 a.m. every day before going to school; He used to tap his ankle every day before going on the ice, numbing it and making it feel no pain. "Because when you fly first, you see the effect, you see your return, so you are more motivated."

In 2007, Wu Dajing received his "small return" and was selected by the Jiangsu Provincial Short Track Speed Skating Team, "At that time, in Jiangsu, I did a lot of work, I sharpened my knife, led the skating in front, and the big athletes were reluctant to skate in front, because it was very tiring to skate in front. ”

Speaking of his talent, Wu Dajing said that an excellent athlete must have talent, "But walking talent is not so important, sometimes hard work, talent naturally comes." ”

National champions, world champions, Olympic champions, along with the display of talent, one glory after another, this is the A-side of a successful athlete; Repeated back injuries, injured meniscus, endless recovery treatment, this is the B-side of a successful athlete, but also Wu Dajing's daily life. "Knife wounds are not a matter for us, the most uncomfortable thing is the injury, this kind of everyone is helpless, just like my two knees, if you practice for a long time, these two knees have stagnant water, you need to regularly pump out the stagnant water, there is stagnant water will swell, resulting in you can not exert strength, this is what I have to face for a long time." Then add my waist, maybe when, I can't move, can't stand up, I have to lie down for a few days, and then practice again, these years have also come over the years, I only have to do some rehabilitation, so that it will not have a short-term attack. ”

"That's how the years have passed"

This "stupid bird", who worked hard to discover his talent, flew diligently for 18 years. He succeeded, but not perfectly, some regrets passed, that is, it really passed.

Some regrets are still related to the competition, "If I had been a little calmer, or if the direction of my goal was a little clearer, I would have broken through in 2014, and I was too ignorant at that time to know anything." ”

Some regrets are about themselves, "We once trained in the United States, and then my strength coach, he knew that I liked Kobe, he had a very good relationship with Kobe, he said I invited Kobe Bryant to you, you two have a good chat, I said yes, no need to invite over, I can go." That Sunday, everything had already been arranged, but as a result, I added a training session and did not go to it. Then back to China, he came out of this matter. He signed his autobiography and then asked the strength coach to give it to me, which was the only offline interaction between us. ”

More regret is to feel ashamed of my family. "I can't spend too little time with them, I can't accompany them for the New Year, their birthdays, they can't be together." My parents wanted to go to Yunnan, and my mother always wanted to go to Xishuangbanna, and she had never gone before. I promised them to do a lot of things, but they didn't do anything. ”

Talking about this, Wu Dajing always said, "All these years have passed like this." Standing in the time window of 28 years old, he knows that the past cannot be chased, and there is no need to suffer from gains and losses as a person. Before the age of 28, he carried his dreams and expectations, slid across the finish line again and again, lost, won, laughed, cried, he saw the scenery on the top of the mountain, and tasted the loneliness in the spotlight. "It's been a stressful two years of preparation, adapting to a new team, and sometimes it just feels like no one really understands you."

The little boy who had stumbled was about to stand. No one knows where his finish line is, because he can't let go of this ice rink; The 28-year-old Wu Dajing himself does not know how his sports career will end, because after a finish line, it may be the next starting line. When talking about the goals he wants to achieve in the future, his answer is very simple, "Be a better version of yourself". Perhaps, just like Wu Dajing's favorite Qi Tian Great Sage, when those difficult battles have been fought, they may look back and find that it may be themselves who need to be defeated in the end.

【Q&A on the same topic】

Errong: When it comes to your original intention, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Wu Dajing: Standing on the ice. The ice surface of short track speed skating is my life. No matter how far I go, or how long I am away, this is still the ice rink I am familiar with, the ground I am familiar with. I also couldn't bear this ice rink, so I chose to continue to insist. This is where I can find my self-confidence, where I can find my existence, where I can prove myself, and where I shine the most.

Errong: Do you remember how you felt when you first went on the ice?

Wu Dajing: Expectation, excitement. Because the first time I went on the ice, our gate was locked, and before it opened, I was naughty as a child, and I was already going to skip it and get rid of it by the coach.

Errong: Back 10 years ago, what do you want to tell yourself the most?

Wu Dajing: Come on, you can do it.

Errong: What goals do you want to achieve in the next ten years?

Wu Dajing: Be a better version of yourself.

Text/Li Yuan Proofreader/Liu Yue