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At the Athens Olympic weightlifting competition, everyone's eyes focused on a Chinese man in the center of the field, who warmed up and used all his strength to challenge the huge barbell in front of him.
In 2004, 30-year-old Zhan Xugang originally thought that he could win the championship in one fell swoop at the Athens Olympics and realize the agreement of "three crown marriages" with his girlfriend, but in the end, he had to end in regret.
Although Zhan Xugang has the enthusiasm to win the championship, as an athlete, his 30-year-old body is already the twilight of his sports career, and he cannot compare with the spirited age of his twenties.
In the end, the 30-year-old Zhan Xugang could only end in regret at the Athens Olympics.
Just when everyone thought that Zhan Xugang was about to retire lonely or return to the sports field, Zhan Xugang took his girlfriend Yao Jian's hand and generously announced the news of his retirement to the media.
At the same time, he also announced the happy news that he was about to get married, and for a while he received everyone's blessings, and in 2005, 31-year-old Zhan Xugang and his girlfriend stepped into the palace of marriage.
Speaking of which, his girlfriend Yao Jian is the best gift God has given him to Zhan Xugang, and the meeting of the two of them is an encounter between fans and idols in today's terms.
It was the 1996 Atlantan Olympics, and Zhan Xugang had just emerged on the field and won the gold medal in the men's weightlifting 70kg event that year, allowing the national anthem of the motherland to resound throughout the stadium.
In this competition that year, he also broke three world records at the same time, and he was in the limelight for a while.
And Zhan Xugang met Yao Jian on the plane back to China, and Yao Jian at that time was the flight attendant on Zhan Xugang's return plane.
Having just watched the Olympic Games, she had great admiration for Zhan Xugang, who had just won honor for the motherland, and she asked Zhan Xugang in surprise and joy if he could sign a name for her.
Although Zhan Xugang was very tired at that time, he was only in his early twenties, and he had no resistance in the face of this kind of bright love, he readily agreed to Yao Jian's request, and the two also exchanged contact information.
Yao Jian originally admired Zhan Xugang to the extreme, and Yao Jian, as a flight attendant, was white and beautiful, and Zhan Xugang had already put her in his heart when they first met.
Soon the two fell in love and began an eight-year long-distance running relationship.
Yao Jian is Zhan Xugang's first love, although the love between the two of them is less and more separated because of the relationship between each other's work, but it does not prevent them from loving each other.
In Zhan Xugang's words, Yao Jian is his goddess of luck.
When Zhan Xu just won the first gold medal, it was when he met Yao Jian, and the second gold medal he won was completed with Yao Jian's unintentional encouragement, or Yao Jian was the source of motivation for Zhan Xugang on the field.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, after winning the gold medal in the 70kg category, he chose to push his limits, choosing 77kg that far exceeded his body weight.
We all know that the easier it is to choose a kilogram class closer to your weight in the weightlifting event, and Zhan Xugang uncharacteristically chose 77 kilograms.
This means that he has to put in more time and energy than others to train, and the pressure he faces is unimaginable.
On the day of the competition, due to the unsatisfactory results of the previous training matches, his results were not in the top five compared to his opponents, which was a great pressure for Zhan Xugang.
The weightlifting competition in the Olympic field is generally divided into two parts: the snatch and the jerk, and at the beginning, the coach discussed with Zhan Xugang for stability, and finally chose the 160 kg snatch.
As a result, after the snatch, Zhan Xugang only ranked fourth, with a difference of 7.5 kilograms from the first place.
The number of 7.5 does not seem very large, but in the weightlifting arena, a kilogram can be an unpassable hurdle.
Also in the jerk section, Sydney weightlifter Mitru lifted 202.5 weights, plus this 7.5kg gap.
This means that Zhan Xugang has to lift at least 207.5 weight during the jerk to win this race and win the championship.
Facing a strong opponent, Zhan Xugang chose to break through the limits of his body and challenge the weight of 207.5 for the first time, which is an unprecedented weight for him.
If he fails, it will be a big blow for him and he is more likely to quit the ring early.
However, just when he was confused and unknowable about his future, he actually saw Yao Jian, his girlfriend, in the audience, and he was surprised and delighted.
Because he knew that Yao Jian should obviously be on the plane at this time, but no matter what, the arrival of his girlfriend gave Zhan Xugang confidence and strength.
He finally broke through the limits of his body, lifted a dumbbell of 207.5 kg, and finally reached the level of Mitru with 367.5 kg.
In the end, with the advantage of low weight, he successfully won the gold medal, becoming the first person in China to win gold medals in weightlifting twice in a row.
He once had an agreement with his girlfriend Yao Jian that as long as he won three medals, he would propose to Yao Jian and marry her home, and now he has won two medals in a row, which means that he is one step closer to marrying Yao Jian.
For Zhan Xugang and Yao Jian, this represents not a simple thing like a gold medal, but a simple and happy moment that is only related to their future.
Fast forward to 2004, the Athens Olympics arrived as scheduled, and in 2004, it meant that Zhan Xugang was 30 years old.
30 years old is the prime of life in our eyes, but in the career of an athlete, it is already the twilight of life, and as the age increases, the physical function is declining year by year.
Although Zhan Xugang is also working hard to maintain and ensure his physical fitness, in the process of training, he still feels that his life is inviolable, and his strength has begun to deteriorate greatly.
Four years ago he was able to lift 207.5kg of dumbbells, but now he has to work harder to keep it.
Although Zhan Xu has just made sufficient preparations, this Athens Olympic Games, he still ended with regret and did not successfully fulfill the "triple crown contract" with his girlfriend.
But the moment he finally put down the dumbbells, he made the decision anyway.
Zhan Xu just finished the competition, and the first time he got his mobile phone was to dial his girlfriend's phone number, and he finally said the words that had been lingering in his heart for a long time: "Honey, let's get married!" ”
When Yao Jian heard this proposal, he cried with joy on the other end of the phone, although he did not realize the agreement of "Three Crowns", but this day is also what she has been looking forward to for a long time.
After getting married, Zhan Xugang and Yao Jian were very loving, and the second year there was a crystallization of love between them, which was a very happy and satisfying thing for Zhan Xugang.
And it was also in the second year of their marriage that Zhan Xu just started the second spring of his career.
After the Athens Olympics, he withdrew from the Olympic stage, which means that he has a new stage for development.
After retiring from sports, Zhan Xugang was appointed as the captain of the second Zhejiang Provincial Physical Training Team, responsible for the management of sports in Zhejiang Province, as well as weightlifting, judo and taekwondo.
This is a challenge harder than training for Zhan Xugang, who has not liked to study since he was a child, and he has to tour the gymnasium every day, then return to the office to look at the dense documents and sign his name.
For Zhan Xugang, who has not calmed down to read them for several years, these documents are heavenly existences, but out of responsibility for his own career, he is also responsible for other work partners.
Zhan Xugang still forced himself to calm down every day, carefully read the provisions on those documents, and finally solemnly signed his name.
Soon, Zhan's career began to improve, and in 2006 he was appointed director of the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Management Center.
In addition, he was invited to be the torchbearer at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, returning to the field in a different way, which is a very proud thing for Zhan.
Even the emblem of the Beijing Olympics has a pattern with the character "Jing", which was made by the designer based on the posture of Zhan Xugang when he raised his hand to celebrate when he won the Sydney Olympics.
The legend of Zhan Xugang in the arena has been recorded forever.
From his appointment as the captain of the second team of Zhejiang Provincial Physical Training in 2005, Zhan Xugang's career has become more and more stable, and finally ushered in a major turning point in 2014, that is, he became the deputy county magistrate of Sanmen County, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province.
As a former Olympic champion, turning around and becoming a county magistrate is an unthinkable thing for Zhan Xugang, and even for the first time in the history of the development of Chinese sports.
Zhan Xu felt a little apprehensive from the time he received the appointment, worried whether he, as an ordinary person, could really take this appointment and serve the people well.
The turning point of all these careers has the existence of his beloved wife Yao Jian, and the existence of Yao Jian is the backbone of Zhan Xugang, which gives him motivation and begins to shine in politics and sports.
We often say that there are three major happy events in life, the cave room spends a candlelight night, and when the gold list is inscribed, he meets a soulmate in another country, and for the first two happy events, Zhan Xugang has already completed.
He and Yao Jian are extremely affectionate, and have a very lovely son, and he is also thriving in his career and has been greatly used by the organization.
And about the last happy event - meeting a soulmate in another country, it will start with his apprentice Shi Zhiyong.
In 2008, 15-year-old Shi Zhiyong successfully entered the Zhejiang provincial team, and Zhan Xugang, who was still in the Zhejiang provincial team at the time, quickly took a fancy to the child.
He thought that he had a very high talent, so he took him as an apprentice and regarded him as a key cultivation object.
And Zhan Xugang did not look at the wrong person, 15-year-old Shi Zhiyong showed great talent on the field, and won the championship in the National Men's Weightlifting Championship and the World Men's Weightlifting Championship.
Zhan Xugang seemed to see his original shadow in him, and he supported Shi Zhiyong all the way, accompanied him to train together, told him some experience and methods, and helped him adjust his mentality.
The time soon came to 2016, when Shi Zhiyong took over the baton from Zhan Xugang and successfully entered the stage of the Rio Olympics.
In this game, Zhan Xugang was more nervous than Shi Zhiyong on the field, and before going on stage, Zhan Xugang repeatedly reminded Shi Zhiyong: "You have to fight steadily!" Steady and steady, you are the first! ”
The young Shi Zhiyong is even more unscrupulous: "I am a crazy person in the arena, I will integrate myself into the game"
In fact, Shi Zhiyong's arrogance was not unreasonable, and he finally achieved the goal that Zhan Xugang did not achieve at the Athens Olympics and successfully won the gold medal.
At the moment when Shi Zhiyong won the championship, Zhan Xugang cried with joy, more excited than he himself won the championship, and he even rushed to the weight platform excitedly and raised Shi Zhiyong's arm.
Standing on the field, he seemed to see himself who tried his best to win the championship in the competition field, which was his stage.
In the future, Shi Zhiyong was as popular as Zhan Xugang that year, and on July 28, 2021, he successfully won the gold medal in the men's 73kg weightlifting category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
And successfully broke the world record, becoming the second Olympic champion after Zhan Xugang to win the Olympic gold medal for two consecutive years.
For Zhan Xugang, Shi Zhiyong is not just a lover who won two consecutive Olympic championships.
Shi Zhiyong is a person he discovered with one hand and cultivated with the other, and he can always see himself in his body who did his best in the arena, which is a different kind of soulmate for Zhan Xugang.
On August 8, 2021, the Tokyo Olympics successfully concluded, but for Zhan Xugang, his Olympic journey did not end with the closing of the Olympic Games.
He will still quietly contribute his part to China's weightlifting program behind the scenes, cultivate generations of strongmen, and make the national anthem resound in the Olympic arena.
In 2018, Zhan Xugang served as the dean of Zhejiang Sports Vocational and Technical College, from world champion to university president, Zhan Xugang's life is undoubtedly wonderful.
On March 20, 2022, Zhan Xugang was appointed by the Zhejiang Provincial Government as the deputy general bureau leader of the deputy general administration of the Zhejiang Provincial General Administration of Sports, and is a deputy department-level cadre.
This is a great breakthrough for the 48-year-old Zhan Xugang, and it also shows that he has a bright and unlimited future.
Back in 1974, a peasant family in Kaihua County, Quzhou, Zhejiang Province, had just given birth to a baby boy, and his parents were so happy that they named him Zhan Xugang.
But who knows that in the time to come, a champion will be born in this ordinary little family.
And this champion will eventually walk on the world stage, set a world record and also embark on the career path, marry a beautiful flight attendant, and live a happy, happy and prosperous life.
Some people may feel that Zhan Xugang has had a smooth journey this way, as if he has not encountered any difficulties.
But who knows, Zhan Xugang, who won the championship in just a few minutes on the field, needs to train hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of minutes off the field.
One pound or two in weightlifting is often a huge gap, and he needs to keep closing these gaps, and he has put in endless efforts to do so.
Now 49 years old, Zhan Xugang is about to reach the age of knowing the destiny of heaven, at this time, Zhan Xugang has children and daughters, husband and wife love, family happiness, and career success.
These are the results of Zhan Xugang spelling it out by himself when he was young.
In the face of these praise for him, Zhan Xugang replied, "Looking back on my own growth process, the times have made me, without this era, there would be no me today." ”
Perhaps it is this humility in him that makes him who he is today.
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