Zhan Xugang, a legendary figure in the history of Chinese men's weightlifting, can be called the "king of weightlifting", he won two consecutive Olympic Games, setting a peak in Chinese weightlifting. However, Zhan Xugang's career and life are full of remarkable stories.
In 1996, the Atlanta Olympics became the pinnacle of Zhan Xugang. In six trials, he broke five consecutive world records, which made the world watch. The weightlifting champion has become a superstar in the world of sports with his outstanding performance.
Zhan Xugang's career did not end there. After the 2004 Athens Olympics, he mysteriously disappeared from the spotlight. But when he appeared in the public eye again, he was no longer an athlete, but promoted from coach Zhan Xugang, principal Zhan Xugang, and county magistrate Zhan Xugang all the way to Director Zhan Xugang. What's more remarkable is that he also married his first love, and his life ushered in a climax.
Born in Kaihua County, Zhejiang Province, Zhan Xu showed extraordinary athletic talent from an early age, and his teachers praised him. Once, Zhu Yuner, the coach of the weightlifting team, went to various primary and secondary schools to look for potential weightlifters, and happened to find Zhan Xugang, who was undergoing a sports assessment.
Zhu Yuner saw Zhan Xugang's sports report card and was deeply attracted by one of the data: the standing long jump actually reached 2 meters 1.
This data shocked Zhu Yuner, and he immediately invited Zhan Xugang to join the weightlifting team, after all, Zhan Xugang has been full of passion for sports since childhood, and he agreed without hesitation.
Zhan's parents objected, fearing that weight training would cause physical damage to their son, and the training was extremely hard. This is a legitimate concern, because no parent wants to see their child suffer.
Despite facing the opposition of her family, Zhu Yuner was determined not to give up. After many persuasions, Zhan Xugang's parents finally reluctantly agreed to his choice. Talent is important, but even more critical is hard work. Despite the heavy academic pressure, he never missed a single weight training session. In addition, he has read a lot of books and developed a training method that suits him.
In 1987, at the age of 14, Zhan Xugang participated in the national competition, he not only directly broke the national record of the same age group at that time, but also was highly praised by the coaching staff of the Zhejiang Provincial Weightlifting Team, welcoming him to join the provincial team. After Zhan Xu just joined the provincial team, he not only completed the tasks assigned by the coach, but also took the initiative to carry out additional training.
In the provincial team, he got more opportunities to play, and he stood out among many players and became a bright new star.
In 1993, Zhan Xugang entered the national team, and after two years of training, he participated in the snatch competition of the World Weightlifting Championships in Guangzhou, and finally achieved the same result as one athlete. However, since Zhan Xugang weighed more than his opponent, he could only be second. Despite not winning the title, his strength earned him recognition from the coaching staff. The following year, he represented his country at the Atlanta Olympics, where he was also a favorite to win the title.
At the day's event, he lived up to expectations, breaking three world records in the snatch, jerk and overall to win a fourth gold medal for China. At just 22 years old, Zhan Xugang became an Olympic champion.
A chance encounter changed the course of his life. An excited flight attendant recognized him and asked for an autograph, a sudden experience that surprised Zhan Xugang. They left contact information for each other and eventually developed a relationship, and Yao Jian became his first love girlfriend.
At the Sydney Olympics, Zhan Xugang faced many difficulties, but finally won the gold medal with his extraordinary performance, becoming the first athlete in the history of Chinese weightlifting to win two consecutive Olympic championships. This victory not only completed his career, but also strengthened his determination to marry Yao Jian.
In addition to his brilliant achievements in sports, Zhan Xugang pays great attention to family. Despite his busy schedule, he found time to spend with his wife and children, becoming a responsible husband and father.
His status from an athlete to a deputy department official is a testament to his diligence and outstanding leadership. His success is not only a personal glory, but also the pride of China's sports industry. His story will continue to inspire more people to pursue their dreams and keep working hard.
Zhan Xugang's achievement as a two-time Olympic champion has made him a legend in the world of sports, and his story will always be remembered and told. His persistence and hard work are a role model for us to learn and pursue, and his story will continue to inspire more people to move forward and chase their dreams. The legendary life of the "King of Weightlifting" will forever shine in the light of sports history.
Olympic champions turn around gorgeously! Jiao Liuyang is an associate professor at a prestigious university and works for Sun Yat-sen University to focus on swimming
By the pool at the 2012 London Olympics, Jiao Liuyang wrote her own legend. At that moment, she won the gold medal in the women's 200m butterfly, fulfilling her childhood dream. However, the story does not end and enters a new chapter.
In 2020, Jiao Liu Yang retired from the army and joined Sun Yat-sen University, becoming a teacher in the physical education department of CUHK and serving as the head coach of the school's swimming team. It was another dream she had as a child, and it is now a reality in her life.
Jiao Liuyang, the "queen of butterfly" in China's swimming industry, was born in 1990 in Harbin, Heilongjiang into a sports family. Her father, Jiao Chunsong, was a former 110m hurdler and had extensive experience in developing athletic talents. Out of consideration for his daughter's physical fitness, or for other reasons, Jiao Chunsong decided to train Jiao Liuyang to become a swimmer.
The decision proved wise. Jiao Liuyang, who was only five years old, was sent to the swimming class of Heilongjiang Traffic School and officially began her swimming career. This swimming class was quite famous at the time and attracted many gifted children, but Jiao Liuyang showed extraordinary talent.
Over the next decade, she continued to achieve outstanding results in the field of swimming, and finally successfully entered Harbin Sports School. This school is one of the highest-level sports schools in Heilongjiang Province and the main base for the training of ice and snow sports talents in China.
Many well-known Olympic stars, such as "short track speed skating queen" Wang Meng, "curling champion" Wang Bingyu, "women's 3000m relay champion" Sun Linlin, etc. have graduated from this school.
In 2005, at the age of 14, Jiao Liuyang won the silver medal in the women's 200m butterfly event at the National Games, becoming a rising star in China's swimming industry. Subsequently, she successfully entered the national team and began her brilliant journey in the field of butterfly.
Life for the national team is far from easy, with almost 20,000 meters of training a day, and eating and recreation time are strictly controlled. However, the effort always pays off. In 2006, at the age of 16, Jiao Liuyang won the women's 200m butterfly at the 7th Asian Swimming Championships, which was a huge achievement. But she did not stop and went on to achieve the best result in Chinese women's butterfly at the World Swimming Championships in Melbourne.
In November of the same year, at the Berlin World Cup, she won the women's 200m butterfly again, and the media praised her as a "promising butterfly swimmer".
Despite receiving so many honors, Jiao Liuyang did not relent, because the 2008 Beijing Olympics are just around the corner, and she is considered one of the most promising athletes in the Chinese delegation. After hard training, she lived up to expectations in the women's 200m butterfly, setting an Olympic record and winning a silver medal.
In 2009, she won gold in the women's 4x100m medley relay at the World Aquatics Championships in Rome and won the 50m butterfly at the East Asian Games the same year.
In 2011, Jiao Liuyang won six gold, two silver and three bronze medals in various competitions, and was known as the "queen of butterfly". Her talent and hard work have allowed her to stand on the highest podium in world swimming time and time again.
The real story doesn't end in the Olympics. In 2012, Jiao Liuyang represented the Chinese team at the London Olympics, where she performed very well, breaking the Olympic record with a time of 2 minutes and 4 seconds and winning the first Olympic gold medal of her career.
As an associate professor at Sun Yat-sen University, Jiao Liuyang attaches great importance to this job and feels very satisfied. "After retiring, I want to pass on my expertise to more people so that more teenagers can enjoy swimming," she said. ”
For Jiao Liuyang, seeing students make 10 or even 20 seconds of progress in a short period of time is a great sense of accomplishment.
After retiring, Jiao Liuyang met designer Yang Chenguang, a talented Canadian-Chinese man. Yang Chenguang once pursued Jiao Liuyang for a long time, and the two eventually fell in love and lived a sweet life. In 2016, Jiao Liuyang and Yang Chenguang tied the knot. Yang Chenguang doted on Liu Yang, and the relationship between the two was very happy.
In 2017, they welcomed their first child, and in 2019, their second child also came to their family. Today, 32-year-old Jiao Liuyang is living a happy and stable retirement life, with a successful career, a happy family, and a more enchanting appearance, which can be called a winner in life.