Interview with Xie Zhenye|Target, Asian Games champion!

The 2023 season is destined to be an extraordinary year for Chinese athletics, with the Budapest World Championships just over and the much-anticipated Hangzhou Asian Games entering the countdown.

Taking the opportunity of the Diamond League Xiamen Station, on September 1, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Xie Zhenye, the Asian record holder in the 200m, and listen to him talk about his sprinting life, as well as the preparations for the Asian Games and the Diamond League Xiamen Station.

On the morning of the 1st, Xie Zhenye came to the interview location alone, without the agent accompanying him, even a little earlier than the agreed time. The opportunity is rare, and after a simple greeting, we will immediately get to the point.

The last time China held the Diamond League was in 2019, which happened to be the last time Xie Zhenye participated in the Diamond League, and he ran 10.09 seconds in the 100-meter race in Shanghai. For the 30-year-old, this Xiamen competition is the last and best warm-up opportunity before the Asian Games.

He said, "There is still a month to prepare for the competition, and the Hangzhou Asian Games will be held soon, and through this competition, you can know what problems you still have, because there are many high-intensity problems that you can't experience in training."

This shot is comparable to the men's 100 meters in the final of the World Championships, and has gathered many Olympic champions and world champions, such as Jacobs, Coleman, Colley, Blake and many others.

"I actually set myself the goal of breaking 10 seconds this time, because it is rare to have a high-level competition, and then there are such high-level athletes, it sounds good to call the same competition, and the bad point is to take me, although our athletes say that they don't admit defeat, but the performance gap is in, and their rhythm of breaking 10 seconds I think I haven't felt for a long time."

"I think I still hope that in this atmosphere in this arena, it will give me enough stimulation to feel the rhythm in 10 seconds, and then go to feel this atmosphere and rhythm in advance for the Asian Games, which I think is very helpful."

In the Hangzhou Asian Games, because of the absence of the famous player Su Bingtian, Xie Zhenye can only shoulder the burden alone, as a native of Zhejiang and the home stadium, the pressure is not small. Facing the opponents of Japan's Yuki Koike, Shohide Kiryu and West Asia and Thailand, Xie Zhenye did not dare to relax in the slightest, of course, the goal was also extremely determined.

"There should be nothing to say about this, the Asian Games are in our hometown, and then it can be regarded as my last Asian Games, I can only say that I will do my best and then leave no regrets."

As long as I do my best and then do what I have to do, what is the result, I think that for me, it is more of a result, of course, I am going for the championship, if I don't win the championship, I will definitely lose.

But if I do everything I have to do, people are really strong... There is nothing to regret about that, although it will still be sad. So what I have to do now is to try to improve my preparation level to a level that can stabilize at a level of breaking 10 seconds...

Then there is to try to control the injury situation, control and recuperate before the game, try to put your best state on the timing of this game, and the previous preparation period needs to be adjusted. ”

On August 17, he just turned 30 years old, and under the current conditions of scientific training and security, age is not a big problem to some extent, and there are many examples of high-level athletes in the world who have maintained or even achieved greater achievements after the age of 30. Xie Zhenye also has a clear understanding of this problem.

"It should be said that it is a more sensitive age, but in fact, it is good for me, because to be honest, sometimes age is a subjective factor, it is one of many conditions.

This condition may be one of your weaknesses over time, such as your physical recovery, or some muscle mass, or some physical strength.

But you can't say that he's a bad thing, because as you get older, you get better self-control, some experience, some training accumulation in the course of your sports career, but overall, of course, it's not so conducive to our project.

Because after all, we still rely on the body to eat the project, a body influence, for us is always a larger proportion, the fact is such a fact, we can only think in a good direction. So for me, I don't have a lot of emotion."

"That 30 is 30, because it is a natural development of a process or law, as long as my grades are good, or don't be injured because of age, so that I can no longer continue to engage in this industry, I think for the sprinting project, this is the main thing."

Age may not be the main consideration for me, of course, unless it has greatly affected the development of my project, such as maybe 35 years old or whatever, or maybe when the impact is increasing, I may do some thinking.

Of course, as I get older, say after 35, I may have some other life thinking. At present, especially at a point such as the Asian Games and the Olympic Games, I have not thought too much. ”

With age, there may be a decline in physical function, but mentally and psychologically, it will be more mature, stable and strong.

Xie Zhenye said, "As I get older, I become more calm, and when I was younger, I thought about how to prove myself, or how to succeed or become famous, because I came out of the countryside just to make my life better."

Now as I get older, I feel that at this age, I am not so eager to achieve quick results... Not just for this one result, just look at the result, to be so demanding of yourself.

I think a lot of times at this age, I care more about enjoying the process, I enjoy the whole process well, after all, the result is never under personal control. You are improving, others are improving, and no one can predict what kind of outcome will be on the field, this is the charm of the game.

The reason why so many people are willing to go to the arena or pay attention is because they want to have all kinds of unpredictable changes in the arena, and then for me, it is actually the same.

In fact, I don't want to pursue the result so much, I want to enjoy the whole process well, because many times in the end, it is you have to live happily, so for me the current mentality, the rhythm is good, more is to enjoy, enjoy this industry, this project brings me an experience and an experience in life.

At the just-concluded World Championships in Budapest, the overall performance of the Chinese athletics team was average, and the sprinting industry was collectively absent, which was due to the overall state and preparations for the Asian Games.

"Mainly because our sprinting men's and women's teams are in a period of change this year. My 100m points are enough, in fact, I can go.

Considering that the World Championships will be the Asian Championships immediately after returning, especially for some small athletes is a test, then I feel that it doesn't seem to make much sense to be strong, because of the toss, so basically we sprint including relay, and the entire sprint department did not go. ”

Before the Asian Championships, Xie Zhenye's performance was quite good, running 10.10 many times, but he was always a little short of reaching the target, Xie Zhenye said.

"In the 100 meters this year, I think it may be more of a matter of mentality, a little anxious, because like you said several times 10 seconds 00, as the race gets closer and closer, you know that the mark is always there, and then every time you just pass the door and don't enter this feeling, after a few times, you will really be anxious."

After I remember the game in Chongqing, I suddenly realized that there was a problem with my mentality, and from then on, I felt that I had to slowly sink my mentality.

In fact, many times you have this ability, you have this level, how to play in the arena, is also a very deep homework, I think I did not do this homework very well at that time."

He suffered a recurrence of an old ankle injury in the semifinals of the Asian Championships, and after several trade-offs, he still participated in the final.

"Because during the previous winter training this year, the old injury in the ankle area has not been very good. When the Asian Championships was compared to 200 meters, it should be said that the whole run of the preliminary round was very easy, I remember at the level of 20.5 seconds, in fact, I felt good at that time, and I wanted to reopen the race a little bit, and I could run to about 20.3 seconds.

But after the rematch, in the corner place, I don't know if you can watch the video, I stepped on an empty foot in that place of the corner, jumped, I felt that the inside foot was not very comfortable, and then the face was not added.

After coming down, I went to check it, it was slightly swollen, and then I didn't want to run for the final, but at that time I still wanted to try it. Because if I run a relatively good result in the Asian Championships, I can reach the World Championships in points.

Then at that time, I tangled again, and after seeing that the problem was not very big, I felt that I had a little old injury, and I had a little reaction but I should be able to run down.

The main thing is that the weather of the Asian Championships was okay, and then the whole preliminaries ran down quite comfortable, just wanted to try the corner, but after running down the corner, I felt that the reaction began to slowly increase after entering the straight, and I hesitated and I didn't think it was necessary.

If the injury is really aggravated, it may also affect the Asian Games. Because this year our main plan is the Asian Games. Then I didn't speed up, so I strode down. ”

"Some of the injury factors on this temporary field are inevitable, and I think my mentality is actually quite good.

As I just said, as you get older, there will be some physical problems, some chronic damage problems. People like us who are old actually have more or less chronic injuries on their bodies. It's just that at present, it needs to be controlled at a certain level and try not to affect the state."

The 30-year-old Xie Zhenye is the oldest athlete in the Chinese men's track event at this Asian Games, and his teammates are usually post-00s and even post-05 team members.

"What I feel the most is that I'm so old. When I first joined the team, I went to the national youth team in 2010, I should be 15-16 years old, and at that time I was also looking at a group of old-timers who didn't know whether to call them brothers and sisters, or uncles and aunts.

It is a very normal development process, there will inevitably be a new group of young people to join us, to inherit our project, or to replace the old and new, this is an established fact.

When I first entered Chinese athletics, in fact, Chinese athletics was still on the rise.

Although I am not yet about to leave, but at such a time in the second half of the period, I can only say that I am very pleased to see that Chinese athletics has developed for such a period of time and entered a relatively good stage.

In addition, new athletes will have more opportunities, old athletes will also give them some attention, they have more resources and guarantees, which is unattainable in our time, I think their current results, the comparison of the same period is much better than ours. For me, I can see progress and hope for the future of this industry.

After young athletes develop to a certain extent, it is not external factors that can interfere with the improvement of your performance, more about whether they can control themselves, I hope they can get better and better.

To be honest, compared with the same period, they are actually better than our time, so I also hope that in the next five to ten years, they can turn over a new chapter higher than us, and even refresh some records and some historical achievements we have left, I think this is a burden on their shoulders."

"In the usual training, I still enjoy it, the vitality of young athletes feels different, they are more lively.

Compared with them, Su Bingtian and I may be more dull, unlike me and Su Bingtian, usually there is basically no willingness to go out to play, or basically in their own comfort zone, they will expand more, or do some more active things, I think it's good. ”

The original 15-minute interview was unsurprisingly overtimed, but it was still unfinished.

The battle-hardened Xie Zhenye is well aware of the points of interest of the media and track and field fans, so many questions do not need to be asked, and naturally they will be told, the interview is very smooth, and the talkative Xie Zhenye shows enthusiasm, humility and courtesy. It is the same as Xie Zhenye, who talked about it from the people who have worked with him before.

After the Xiamen race, the Chinese sprint team will rush to Hangzhou for final preparations, so let's wish them.