In the tears of Ge Manqi, a touching master-apprentice story flowed

What does the Asian Games gold medal mean? In Gemanqi's life story, this is a commitment to the late coach.

On the evening of September 30, at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, 25-year-old Ge Manqi won his first Asian Games 100-meter gold medal in 11.23 seconds, and also helped Chinese athletics win the men's and women's 100-meter championships for the first time in the history of the Asian Games.

Ge Manqi won the women's 100m gold medal. Photo by surging news reporter Zhao Yun

When Ge Manqi saw her 0.04 seconds faster than Singapore's "female flyer" Pereira at the finish line, she was extremely excited and threw herself into the arms of "big sister" Wei Yongli, crying so much that she cried.

Ge Manqi's tears contain too many emotions - there is the relief of returning from injury, the excitement of returning to the peak, and the pride of winning glory for the country, but the most touching thing is the longing and gratitude for Liu Chaoxu, his mentor who died of illness.

German's roar after the game. Photo by surging news reporter Zhao Yun

Half father

"It's been a very difficult year for me, a lot has happened, so knowing after I crossed the line that I won the championship, I think my master must have seen it."

From the arena to the mixed interview area to the press conference a few hours after the game, Ge Manqi couldn't stop the tears flowing down her eyes whenever she talked about her mentor, Liu Chaoxu.

"I made a promise with him, I made it, and I left a good result here."

Speaking of his mentor, Ge Man burst into tears after the game. Video Editor Huang Qing (02:02)

It is precisely because of Ge Manqi's tears that the outside world has begun to understand the touching master-apprentice story between her and Coach Liu Chaoxu.

Ge Manqi, who was born in Qingliu, Fujian Province in 1997, has tried everything in a sports school since he was a child, hurdles, long jump, pole vault... It wasn't until she was recommended to coach Liu Chaoxu that her sprinting career really began.

"I am grateful for the solid foundation I laid while practicing multiple disciplines at that time, and I am even more grateful to my coach, Liu Zhaoxu, who, like half of my father, accompanied me through the rebellious period and helped me find my way step by step."

In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, Ge Manqi once talked about her relationship with Coach Liu Zhaoxu - whenever Coach Liu Zhaoxu is mentioned, Ge Manqi is always full of gratitude to her "half father".

Ge Manqi (right) burst into tears after the game.

10 years together

In the journey to the highest level of Chinese women's sprinting and even Asian women's sprinting, coach Liu Zhaoxu has been accompanying Ge Manqi through troughs one after another, and then walked back to the peak again.

At the 2013 Asian Youth Olympic Games, 16-year-old Ge Manqi won the Asian championship in the 100-meter event; At the 2017 Asian Athletics Grand Prix, she once again showed her strength and helped the Chinese team to finish second.

In 2018, Ge Manqi won the women's 4×100m championship in the Diamond League in Shanghai; Later, at the IAAF Osaka Challenge, she helped the national team win the championship.

After Ge Manqi won the gold, he threw himself on the body of his eldest sister Wei Yongli and cried.

In 2019, Ge Manqi reached her peak moment - she won several championships in the National Indoor Athletics Championships and the National Outdoor Athletics Championships, setting a new personal record and setting an Asian record.

However, in the years of rapid growth, Ge Manqi has also experienced many setbacks, including her mistake at the 2017 World Championships in London. In addition, Ge Manqi has missed key matches on several occasions due to injury.

But whether it is a peak or a trough, coach Liu Chaoxu has always accompanied Ge Manqi.

Coach Liu Zhaoxu once said in an interview before his death, "The mistakes of the World Championship had a great impact on Manqi, and that was when she was most disappointed." At the last National Games, we had the strength, but the result was disappointing... In the past 10 years, I have watched her go step by step, experiencing difficulties and setbacks, helping her regain confidence and courage. ”

Ge Manqi shows the gold medal in the Asian Games.

Deliver on promises

In 2021, Ge Manqi, Liang Xiaojing, Huang Guifen, and Wei Yongli set the best Chinese Olympic results in the women's 4×100-meter relay at the Tokyo Olympics.

In June 2022, she ran 10.94 seconds at the Southeast Classic Track and Field Championships in Jacksonville, USA, with a downwind of 4.1 m/s.

Seeing that Ge Manqi was about to take over the baton of "big sister" Wei Yongli and become the leader of Chinese women's sprinting, but at the end of 2022, coach Liu Zhaoxu passed away due to illness, and this sudden change caused a huge blow to Ge Manqi.

"During that time, she and Lin Yuwei were hit too hard, and the whole person was very depressed, and sometimes I saw them crying silently and staying there dumbfounded."

A person close to Ge Manqi's team once told The Paper during the Shenyang National Championship, "Ge Manqi can overcome psychological and injury challenges this season, and it is really not easy to return to this state." ”

"It really took a lot of pressure to get this gold medal on my doorstep, and I didn't expect that I would be blindsided the moment I won the gold medal."

"I have been absent from winter training, and then a lot of things have happened, and this year it was about 11.50 seconds, which was also a blow to myself."

But Ge Manqi has always remembered her agreement with coach Liu Chaoxu, that is, to win the gold medal in the women's 100 meters at the Asian Games, and it is this promise that helps Ge Manqi get out of the psychological shadow and injury torment little by little.

After the game, Geman held the national flag to thank the audience. Photo by surging news reporter Zhao Yun

Of course, during this time, Li Bin, Liu Chaoxu's former assistant coach, also led Ge Manqi in the right direction after taking over the whip.

"I've said a word before, hard work pays off. This year, I found that the premise that hard work will pay off is that hard work is not just the efforts of one person, but there are many people behind me who silently support me. ”

After standing on the top podium of the Asian Games, Ge Manqi also thanked many people, "The Chinese track and field team encouraged me not to give up behind my back, and then my coach, team doctor and leader, when I collapsed every night, they still encouraged me to move forward, and I went to silently resist this pressure, and then there was the current result." ”

"This reward is the result of everyone's hard work for me."

epilogue

At the Hangzhou Asian Games, Ge Manqi fulfilled her promise and commitment to coach Liu Zhaoxu, and after this year's setbacks, she also became more mature and strong.

At the 2021 Shaanxi National Games, because coach Liu Zhaoxu was not by her side, she also said that "she is not very comfortable with the coach not being around", and now, this thought has become the longing and firmness in Ge Manqi's heart.

"I've been following him since I was a teenager and I'd love to see him see me standing on the podium this year. My previous agreement with him was to win the gold medal at the Asian Games, and I have done it now, and he must have seen it. ”

Ge Manqi said that she will get better, and repay coach Liu Zhaoxu's teachings in the past ten years on a higher stage and at a faster speed, "I still feel a little regretful, but I will continue to work hard to meet the standards of the Paris Olympics." ”