Standing on the top podium, holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing a gold medal, the five young men looked at the slowly rising national flag in front of them and sang the national anthem loudly in their mouths. They are the athletes of the elite team of China's e-sports peace team at the Hangzhou Asian Games. On National Day 2023, the team won a gold medal for the Chinese delegation with a time of 44:36.943.
In the team, the two champions Liu Yunyu (ID: Sima Guang) and Huang Can (ID: Natural Can) are both from Chengdu AG Club. Looking back on the Asian Games, the two received a lot of fruit, in addition to applause and flowers, there were many unexpected joys. Looking ahead, they hope to use this gold medal as a new starting point and continue to move forward with confidence and courage.
The two champions, Liu Yunyu (left) and Huang Can (right), are both from Chengdu AG Club. Photo: Chengdu AG Peace Elite
Thick accumulation
At the beginning of May this year, the shortlist of the national training team for the Peace Elite Asian Games version was announced, and 16 athletes were all active players of the PEL (Peace Elite Professional League), including Liu Yunyu and Huang Can.
After the list was announced, the large troops gathered in Shenzhen for training, and the performance of the training will be directly related to whether it can enter the final list of 5 people. Moreover, unlike the usual league, while trying to adapt to the Asian Games version, athletes also need to adjust their schedules and control their diet, and everyone faces both physical and psychological pressure.
During the training period, Liu Yunyu and Huang Can, who had befriended each other well, were each other's most trusted dependents. Separated in a dormitory, the two often confide in each other and encourage each other. Recalling that time, Huang Can clearly remembers Liu Yunyu's patient listening and warm encouragement, which helped him relieve his anxiety to a large extent. Liu Yunyu is grateful to Huang Can for taking him to fitness, so that he can face the daily high-intensity training with better physical fitness.
"I don't have any selfish feelings for volcanoes because I also want the two of us to go hand in hand and it's a great pleasure [to be able to participate in the Asian Games together]." Liu Yunyu said. The name between the two brothers is quite interesting, Huang Can is ingenious, used to call Liu Yunyu ID last two characters "Ma Guang", Liu Yunyu took Huang Can's "Can" apart and called him "volcano".
The end result did not disappoint them. In the Chinese team's roster, Liu Yunyu and Huang Can took on the driver's seat, and the target position was handled by Zhu Bocheng (ID: paratrooper), Chen Yumeng (ID: Hua Hua) and Zhang Jianhui (ID: Gezi). Before the race, the two drivers were in agreement on the upcoming big test: can't wait, hope the race comes soon. Huang Can explained: "Because we were selected from the most stressful and challenging environment and trained for a long time, we are very confident in our own strength, so we can't wait to win this gold medal. ”
The experience of the Asian Games allowed the five young athletes to forge a deep friendship. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
friendship
Approaching the Asian Games, the e-sports national training team moved to Hangzhou and sprinted with all its might. On the basis of the previous training, this group of athletes, who already represent the top level of the league, have been perfected in terms of technique and tactics, but in order to improve their stability, they still need to practice repeatedly and frequently. In Liu Yunyu's words, it is like eating the same meal every day, a hundred times, a thousand times and ten thousand times. How to find fun in boring training and stick to it has become a major problem for athletes.
Joke with each other, share their playlists during breaks, and relieve the fatigue of high-intensity training in the simplest way to relax.
Together, the five young athletes developed a deep bond with each other. In the eyes of Huang Can and Liu Yunyu, the captain Zhu Bocheng is cheerful and assertive, Zhang Jianhui is lively and cute and can afford to joke, and Chen Yumeng is a very strong person who is strict with himself. During the preparation period, several people were almost inseparable. After the Asian Games, the next time the champion team is in the same frame in the arena, it is very likely that it will have to wait until the next league. "Hua Hua said, he will beat us up during the league." Huang Can said, and couldn't help but laugh, "(I want to say to him) Beat him lightly." ”
"Lao Li is the eldest parent, and we are all like his children. Many of his ideas and experiences are very mature, and he usually teaches us some life principles, which benefits us a lot. The "old Li" in Huang Can and Liu Yunyu's mouth refers to Li Yang, the head coach of the Peace Elite Team.
In private, the players prefer to call Li Yang "Lao Li" or "Brother Li". Liu Yunyu still can't forget the feeling when he saw "Brother Li" helping him wash and dry his clothes, "I was very moved, because after playing professionally, he was the first person to help me wash my clothes." On the day of parting, Huang Can and the coach hugged tightly, and Liu Yunyu couldn't help but shed tears on the side, "I still hope that he is healthy, and I just want my brother Li to be safe." ”
During the preparation period, several people were almost inseparable. Photo by Beijing News reporter Zhao Xue
regretful
In addition to teammates, during the Hangzhou Asian Games, Huang Can and Liu Yunyu also met a number of friends in other sports. For example, Huang Can played with Cheng Long, a player from Esports Dream Three Kingdoms 2. Huang Can, who self-rated himself as more introverted, felt that Cheng Long was "particularly cute and had a particularly good personality", and the two agreed to see each other in Chengdu and eat together.
Liu Yunyu made new friends in Chinese women's water polo and canoeing. In addition, while participating in the torch relay at the Hangzhou Asian Games, he became friends with Guan Chenchen, the women's balance beam champion in gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics. After Hangzhou won the championship, the mixed interview area prepared the Asian Games mascot figurine blind box for the peace elite members, and Liu Yunyu drew "rhythmic gymnastics", which he said on the spot that he would give to Guan Chenchen. Did the blind box get out? "Already mailed."
When it comes to dating, the two confess that they also left some small regrets. For various reasons, they missed some athletes they wanted to meet, such as Ma Long and Wang Chuqin of the national table tennis team.
Outside of training, the lads of the Peace Elite team often get together to play table tennis. Relying on the foundation he saved in school, Huang Can became the best player on the team. When he stayed in the Asian Games Village, he always looked forward to meeting Ma Long and competing in his skills, but unfortunately this wish could not be realized until the day he left the village. Knowing that the King Glory player met with the Dragon Team, Huang Can was very envious, "There is a little regret, I want to ask him about table tennis." ”
Wang Chuqin, the four-gold king of the Hangzhou Asian Games, is the person Liu Yunyu hopes to see the most. He counted several reasons why he wanted to see Wang Chuqin, "He has good grades, he is very strong, and I think his hairstyle is very cute, just like me, mushroom head." After thinking about it, he added, "We are still post-zeros. ”
The two gold medalists have returned to club training. Photo: Chengdu AG Peace Elite
future
Today, both gold medalists have returned to the club and put most of their energy into training. But the two still maintain the habit they developed when preparing for the Asian Games, "I don't get up early one day now, and I feel uncomfortable." "Accustomed to a diet with less oil and less salt, their taste is also much lighter.
Obviously, the impact of the Asian Games trip did not dissipate immediately with the end of the competition, and more importantly, their inner world was richer than the change in living habits. As Huang Can and Liu Yunyu said, this was a valuable experience, during which they read a lot of books, met a lot of friends, learned how to express themselves, and gained confidence and courage.
Back on the evening of October 1, the last 10 seconds before the Chinese team's fourth map crossed the line, which was a picture that Huang Can and Liu Yunyu could hardly forget. 100 meters, 90 meters, 80 meters, 70 meters from the end... The moment he crossed the line, whether it was Huang Can sitting on the stage or Liu Yunyu, who rotated to watch the game under the field, the same thought came to his heart: Isn't it a dream?
Stepping onto the top podium and watching the five-star red flag rise, their hearts really let go. "When you sing the national anthem, you almost shout, and you sing it with a very loud voice." Although only 19 years old, Liu Yunyu has made a clear plan for his career, and winning the gold in the Asian Games is not the end, "It's not that I won the gold medal, but I want to give me some confidence through this gold medal, and win our championship with the team in the later league, and rain golden rain together." ”
Huang Can's ideas are similar to his good brother's, and winning the gold medal on his 24th birthday became the best reward for his career. Amid the blessings of the audience, he mustered up the courage to continue moving forward, "I have been playing professionally for a long time, and this is my first championship. I hope this gold medal gives me confidence and allows me to go on with firm conviction and win more championships. ”
Reporter Zhao Xue
Edited by Wu Zhengyang
Proofreader Zhao Lin