Montpellier, France 2023 International Self-League Freestyle BMX World Cup competition, Zhou Huimin on the championship podium.
The summer of 2023 means a lot to Zhou Huimin.
At the 2023 International Self-Union Freestyle BMX World Cup in Montpellier, France, which ended in May, 18-year-old Chinese girl Zhou Huimin defeated Roberts, the runner-up of the Tokyo Olympics, and stood on the championship podium with a score of 90.80 points. It was also the first world title of her career.
Zhou Huimin, from Huilai County, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, was a former basketball team player, and once she had the opportunity to go out to compete, she was selected to enter the Dongguan Huangjiang Amateur Sports School and began to contact cycling. In January 2018, Guangdong Province officially established the BMX team freestyle team (team), and 13-year-old Zhou Huimin was selected to join the provincial BMX team of Guangdong Huangcun Sports Training Center, and became associated with the freestyle BMX project.
From being introduced to the freestyle BMX event at the age of 13 to standing on the world championship podium at the age of 18, this young Guangdong girl has always had a character for daring to challenge and break through, which is the spirit of the project in her eyes. Sun Lu, deputy leader of the freestyle BMX national team, told Nandu and N video reporters, "When Huimin first entered the national team, she was the youngest in the team, known as 'Xiao Budian', and now she has become the big sister in the team, and she really belongs to the 'pillar'."
After winning Montpellier, Zhou Huimin will continue to participate in 5 matches. Recently, when interviewed by Nandu reporters, she was still preparing for the competition in France. For the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Zhou Huimin has a firm goal and wish, "I hope that every member of the Chinese team can enter the Olympic Games and stand on the podium of the Olympic Games."
Win
The first world champion of his career
This 18-year-old girl has a calmness beyond her age. She was preparing for the tournament in France and had just finished training when she was interviewed. She frankly told the Nandu reporter that "now I am living a three-point life every day, and I have adapted to this rhythm."
At the 2023 International Self-Union Freestyle BMX World Cup in Montpellier, France, which ended in May, Zhou Huimin won the championship with an excellent score of 90.80 points, which was her first World Cup title this season and the first world championship of her career.
The International Cycling Union Freestyle BMX World Cup is an important event for registered athletes of the International Self-Union to obtain points, and the champion will receive 1,000 points, which will help the country improve its ranking in the International Cycling Union, so as to obtain more places in the World Championships. The performance of the World Championships will directly determine the qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
In an interview after the race, Zhou Huimin said that he hoped to represent China as the "first person" to participate in the Olympic Games in freestyle BMX.
When talking to the Nandu reporter about winning the championship, Zhou Huimin was calm and happy, "It's still very happy, after all, I and the team have worked hard for so long." It's also the first world title of my sporting career, and it's still very meaningful."
For Zhou Huimin, this championship is both an encouragement and a motivation to continue to fight. "I think in this project, maybe your talent is important, but more you need to keep working hard."
Bonding
From "small point" to "top pillar"
The connection with the freestyle BMX project is a wonderful coincidence in Zhou's opinion.
Born in 2005, Zhou Huimin was a former player on the school basketball team. In early 2018, during a basketball competition, she was selected by Wei Jianqiang, the principal of Huangjiang Amateur Sports School, to train on the school's road cycling team.
In June 2017, the International Olympic Committee included freestyle BMX as an official event at the Tokyo Olympics. The following year, Guangdong Province established a BMX team freestyle team (team), and 13-year-old Zhou Huimin was sent to the provincial team to train and began to contact the freestyle BMX project. Sun Lu, deputy leader of the freestyle BMX national team, introduced to Nandu reporters that this project is currently the only skill event in all cycling events, in the competition, athletes need to complete their own race actions in the specified venue, and the judges score comprehensively according to the difficulty of the movement, fluency, route arrangement, action style and so on. This also means that the freestyle BMX project itself is more challenging and groundbreaking.
Recalling the training process, the action of "falling" appeared hundreds of times in Zhou Huimin's memory, but there was always a tenacity in her body. She recalled to the Nandu reporter, "When I first came into contact with freestyle BMX, I just wanted to give it a try, and then slowly found that this project was constantly challenging myself and breaking through the limit, and I felt that it would bring me a lot of different experiences, so I kept going." ”
In the eyes of Zhou Huimin's coaches, this girl who looks a little introverted always has a calm power beyond imagination. Wu Zhipeng, the coach of the freestyle BMX Guangdong team, described her as "a stable and delicate girl".
"Huimin doesn't have as many movements as other athletes, but she will pursue the extreme, will practice one movement to 'do whatever you want', and then go to practice the next new movement." Wu Zhipeng said to the Nandu reporter.
Sun Lu was deeply impressed by Zhou Huimin when she first entered the national team. "In the first season of 2018, I had a lot of contact with Hui Min, and she was the youngest player in the team at that time, and she was also the most potential player, so she was called 'Xiao Bu Diao'. At that time, she belonged to the children who everyone needed to be pampered in the team, but now she has become the big sister in the team, and she really belongs to the 'pillar'. ”
Zhou Huimin's world championship in Montpellier was expected in Wu Zhipeng's opinion. "Hui Min's ability to adapt to the venue in a short period of time, and the overall fluency and stability of her movements are her biggest strengths." Wu Zhipeng can still recall asking Zhou Huimin a few questions when he was selected for the provincial team. "I asked her at the time, why did you choose sports? What is your dream?" 13-year-old Zhou Huimin told him firmly, "I want to win the world championship."
Care
If you can't hold on, you will call home
After training and competing outside for a long time, home has become Zhou Huimin's most powerful source of strength and the most important concern. When talking about her hometown, she has a smile on her face, exuding a sense of happiness and satisfaction.
Zhou Huimin told Nandu reporters that during the preparation for the competition in France, she would often call her family and send them videos of cycling during training. "Every time I couldn't hold on, I would call home and they would encourage me not to think so much."
When the news of the victory returned to her hometown, her parents were overjoyed and proud, but also worried about their daughter's mental and physical condition under the intense training.
In February this year, in the 2023 International Self-Union Freestyle BMX World Cup Saudi Arabia, Zhou Huimin only finished thirteenth and failed to reach the final due to a pre-race shoulder injury, resulting in a mistake in the race. It was an exceptionally difficult time for her. She bluntly said that the encouragement of her family and self-adjustment were the key to supporting her through this period, "At that time, all I could do was adjust my mentality and believe that I would be able to."
In Zhou Huimin's heart, the land of her hometown has also provided her with a lot of support. "After entering the Huangjiang Amateur Sports School, the coaches here have treated me very well, and the local area of Huangjiang has also provided a good environment for our training and supported the development of our project."
For Principal Wei, who selected her to the Huangjiang Amateur Sports School, and the coaches she met during her time in the Guangdong Provincial Team, Zhou Huimin called them her "Bole". "I am grateful to these coaches who have been kind to me, and I am grateful to everyone in my hometown for their support, and I feel proud to be a Guangdong athlete who has won the championship in the international arena."
In August this year, Zhou Huimin will return home from training in France. Talking about what she most wanted to do after returning to China, the 18-year-old girl expressed the simplest and truest thoughts to the Nandu reporter, "I want to go back to my mother quickly, eat and chat with my family", and then she added, "I want to eat my mother's fried flower nail the most."
future
Hopefully, more people know about the existence of this project
The popularity and attention of freestyle BMX events is relatively limited in China, and it was not until the last Tokyo Olympics that it was listed as an official event. The breakthroughs made by young athletes represented by Zhou Huimin in international competitions are promoting the development of China's freestyle BMX program.
Unlike other cycling events, the freestyle BMX event does not have prescribed movements, and athletes can add more innovative and creative movements according to their own design.
"Maybe other cycling events don't reach the senior category until the age of 18, but freestyle BMX athletes face the challenge of moving up to the senior category when they are 15 years old." Wu Zhipeng introduced to the Nandu reporter, "This project must be really liked from the heart, so that you can practice well." ”
At present, the Chinese freestyle BMX team is in full swing preparing for the Paris Olympics in a year's time. Zhou Huimin will also continue to participate in five races after winning the Montpellier championship to strive for more possibilities for participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
In Zhou's view, the freestyle BMX project represents more possibilities. Facing the next stage, this girl who constantly challenges herself puts forward new requirements for herself, "My current shortcomings are obviously exposed, and I hope to have further breakthroughs and be more comprehensive in technology."
For the future development of the project, Zhou Huimin and the coaches expressed their common expectations to the Nandu reporter, "hoping to let more people know the existence of this project through their own efforts." Sun Lu hopes that through the athletes represented by Zhou Huimin, the freestyle BMX project can continue and develop. "From our point of view, we are also constantly learning and exploring, hoping that through our efforts, more reserve talents can join this project and win glory for the country."
In March this year, Zhou Huimin celebrated her 18th birthday. At this important juncture in her life, she has more expectations for the upcoming events, "I hope that every member of the Chinese team can enter the Olympic Games and stand on the podium of the Olympic Games." ”
For herself, she has a simple and precious birthday wish, "I hope that I and the people around me can be safe, healthy, and continue to move forward towards my goals." ”
"Out of the Circle" Cantonese series report
Chief planner: Rong Mingchang, Liu Jiangtao
Executive planner: Wang Jia
Coordinator: Nandu reporter Xiang Xueni
Written by: Nandu reporter Peng Yuxin Intern Wang Jinghe
Photo courtesy of interviewee