Zhang Rongfang, one of the immortal legends of the Chinese women's volleyball team, made outstanding contributions to the golden age of the Chinese women's volleyball team, helping the team win the 1981 World Cup, the 1982 World Championships, and the 1984 Olympic Games three consecutive championships.
However, this brilliant achievement also took a heavy toll on her body. The heart, lumbar vertebrae, cervical vertebrae, every part has become traces of battle, her life is almost paralyzed, and every movement is torment.
Her husband, Hu Jin, is a high-profile volleyball coach who has twice served as the head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team, but has never achieved the desired results. She has also been criticized because of her husband's relationship, and criticism is endless. Her volleyball career was full of endless ups and downs and tears, but it also created immortal brilliance.
01
Zhang Rongfang, born on April 15, 1957, is a native of Chengdu, Sichuan. Her family is not wealthy, her father Zhang Lingyun and mother Gao Qinglian are both hard-working ordinary workers, and she does not have any sports background. In this family of seven, she is the fourth.
When she was a child, she was the "little bully" of the family. There are often friends who gather together to play a variety of interesting games. Once, they built a "secret base" in the backyard, and Zhang Rongfang was elected as the leader, formulated a set of "military rules", and assembled on time every day for all kinds of serious training.
As the "leader", Zhang Rongfang has the pungent energy of a "Sichuan girl", whether at home or at school, she is the undisputed leader. She even has a nickname called Maomao, which means that she has a quick temper and a strong personality.
In 1970, Zhang Rongfang, who was only 13 years old at the time, resolutely went to Chengdu People's Stadium and expressed her desire without hesitation: to become a volleyball player. The "Sichuan girl" in this alley was like a "demon" after touching the volleyball, and was instantly attracted by the charm of volleyball.
Zhang Rongfang is a fledgling and knows nothing about volleyball. However, that didn't stop her enthusiasm and determination. She began to study and train hard, meticulously studying volleyball skills.
In the scorching summer, she sweated on the court, held up one after another ever-changing volleyballs with her hands, and gradually realized the subtlety of volleyball. Every day when it was getting late and the stars were sprinkled on the court, she still insisted on the training field, hitting and catching the ball hard, and her determination was as strong as if she was in control of her own destiny.
With the persistence day after day, Zhang Rongfang's volleyball skills have become more and more exquisite, and she has gradually shaken off the shyness of a novice and shown confidence and determination.
In November 1970, Zhang Rongfang finally became a member of the Sichuan women's volleyball team, which meant endless opportunities and challenges for her.
Every morning, before the first ray of sunlight was lit, Zhang Rongfang came to the training ground early, silently holding the volleyball alone, practicing serving and catching the ball over and over again until her fingers were sore.
In training, Zhang Rongfang is a desperate little tiger. She is not afraid of hardship, she is not afraid of injury, as long as she can keep the ball from landing, she will do her best to fight for it. Her fighting spirit infects every teammate, and the atmosphere on the field has become warm and passionate.
In one game, the opponent's serve once put the Sichuan women's volleyball team in a pass predicament. At this time, Zhang Rongfang walked to the front row without hesitation, and she decided to use her own blocking net to resolve this crisis. After receiving a pass from a teammate, she bounced up and steadily blocked the ball, winning a round of applause from the audience.
She often said: "This ball is not a question of whether I want it or not, it is a question of whether the people of Sichuan want it or not." This sentence has become her motto on the field, and it has also become a legend passed on by her teammates.
In 1976, the Chinese women's volleyball team ushered in a new coach Yuan Weimin, whose arrival brought a new atmosphere and opportunities to the team. 19-year-old Zhang Rongfang also stepped into the door of the national team.
At that time, the main offensive lineup of the Chinese women's volleyball team was star-studded, and famous players such as Cao Huiying and Yang Xi were all fierce generals in the formation. Among the main attackers in this group, the most petite is Zhang Rongfang. However, she didn't back down because of her short stature, on the contrary, she used hard training and unique skills to firmly occupy the main position.
Li Guizhi from Hebei has also become a highly anticipated star in the team. She is 1.86 meters tall, has amazing smashing power, and her personal conditions are even better than Lang Ping, the leader of the women's volleyball team at that time. Yuan Weimin did not hesitate to regard her as the main force of cultivation and placed high hopes on her.
However, whenever the competition comes, Li Guizhi always struggles to perform at the level he should have. Her form on the pitch is always very different from when she is training, which makes it difficult for the coaching staff. In the end, Yuan Weimin had to make a difficult decision, giving up Li Guizhi, who had high hopes, and began to cultivate Zhang Rongfang instead.
02
In the sixties and seventies of the 20th century, the Japanese women's volleyball team has always been the dominant player on the Asian volleyball stage, and the South Korean team has always maintained strong competitiveness.
For the Chinese women's volleyball team, this is an era full of hardships and challenges. Yuan Weimin is the head coach, and he knows that in order to gain a place in the international arena, the women's volleyball team must work harder. He actively advocated the spirit of "lying on the salary and tasting courage", and encouraged the team members to not be afraid of difficulties, move forward bravely, in order to achieve the grand goal of "rushing out of Asia to the world".
On the training ground, the players sweated like rain, fearless of the cold and heat, and every ball told their hard work and persistence. Yuan Weimin often encouraged them: "We must surpass ourselves, surpass Asia, and strive to show the strength of the Chinese women's volleyball team on the world stage!" ”
This era is extremely arduous, but it is in this special historical background that the Chinese women's volleyball team has forged a spirit of perseverance and courage, which has laid a solid foundation for its later glory.
In the future Women's Volleyball World Cup, the ranking of the Chinese women's volleyball team is getting higher and better year ago. In the second Women's Volleyball World Cup in 1977, they defeated many strong opponents and finally finished fourth. Although this ranking is not a champion, it is exciting for us and inspires countless people to catch up.
Then at the 8th Women's Volleyball World Championship in 1978, the Chinese women's volleyball team once again showed their strength to the world. Although the final ranking was sixth, the fighting spirit and the atmosphere of unity during the game made people feel the determination and perseverance of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
At the same time, at the 8th Asian Games in the same year, the Chinese women's volleyball team faced the powerful Japanese team, although they failed to win, they won the honor of runner-up.
In December 1979, at the second Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, Zhang Rongfang and Lang Ping joined hands to become the sharp weapon of the main offensive line. On the playing field, every minute and every second is the pulse of national honor. With their perseverance and hard work, the Chinese women's volleyball team defeated the strong Japanese team 3:1 and the South Korean team 3:0.
When the final victory sounded, pride and pride filled the hearts of every team member. The Chinese women's volleyball team finally got its wish and achieved the dream goal: "rushing out of Asia to the world".
At that moment, the hard work and efforts of several generations of Chinese volleyball people finally got due rewards on the field. Head coach Yuan Weimin burst into tears, and the dream in his heart became a reality at this moment. And every member of the team, Zhang Rongfang, is the same, their eyes are also moist.
Their efforts and hard work are not only to stand at the top of Asia, but also to show the world the style of the Chinese women's volleyball team. The world championship became their next goal.
This goal is no longer out of reach for the Chinese women's volleyball team. They will continue to fight for it, work for it, and fight for it. Because they know that every sweat and persistence will be turned into the power to realize their dreams, so that the glory of Chinese volleyball will continue to bloom on the world stage.
03
In March 1980, Zhang Rongfang was practicing fish leap to save the ball. Accidentally, she sprained her lumbar spine, and the severe pain made her lose the ability to stand in an instant, and she could only fall to the ground, tears welling up, and her eyes were full of pain and helplessness. Teammates rushed her to the hospital.
However, that didn't make her lose her fighting spirit. Even in the hospital bed, the pain was unbearable, but she still stubbornly persevered in training. Sometimes, she would sneak out of the hospital room, find a quiet corner, and do simple exercises with all her might, even in the hospital park, she would find a suitable place and silently persevere.
During this time, she was not only recovering her body, but also holding on to her beliefs, and even though it was painful, she did not give up her persistent pursuit of volleyball.
November 1981 was a glorious moment for the Chinese women's volleyball team. The 3rd Women's Volleyball World Cup was held in Japan, this time, the Chinese women's volleyball team finally made a historic breakthrough after a lot of hardships, won the world championship, won pride and honor for the motherland, and pushed Chinese volleyball to a new height.
With the advent of September 1982, the 9th Women's Volleyball World Championship kicked off in Peru. The Chinese women's volleyball team once again won the glory of the world championship with the spirit of tenacious struggle, which also won them the ticket to the Los Angeles Olympics and made the world pay attention to the rise of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
In 1983, Sun Jinfang, the main setter of the team, retired, and the captaincy of the Chinese women's volleyball team was vacant. In everyone's expectation, Zhang Rongfang stepped forward and took over the important task. She not only performed well on the court, but also showed extraordinary leadership in uniting the players and directing the game, becoming the pride of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the Chinese sports delegation handed over a brilliant report card, winning a total of 15 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 9 bronze medals, ranking fourth in the medal table. Among them, the gold medal won by the Chinese women's volleyball team has become the only gold medal in China's three major ball events, and its gold content can be seen.
In this Olympic Games, Zhang Rongfang can be said to be a major contributor to the Chinese women's volleyball team, and her performance is well deserved. In the group stage, against a strong Brazil team, she contributed 12 points. Against West Germany, she scored another nine points. Although the Chinese women's volleyball team lost 1:3 in the clash with the United States team, Zhang Rongfang contributed an astonishing 24 points in the game, surpassing Lang Ping, who was in the spotlight at the time.
In the semifinals, the Chinese women's volleyball team defeated the Japanese team 3:0, and Zhang Rongfang stepped forward again and contributed 14 points. In the final, facing the strong American team, the Chinese women's volleyball team won the gold medal with a score of 3:0 with the hard work of the whole team. In this final, Zhang Rongfang scored 21 points and once again became the team's top scorer.
This brilliant performance made Zhang Rongfang become one of the "Top Ten Athletes in the Country", won the honor of the national "38" Red Flag Bearer, and was also selected as one of the outstanding athletes in the 40 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
04
In September 1984, Zhang Rongfang had reached the age of retirement, and at the grand farewell party held by the national women's volleyball team, Zhang Rongfang stood in the spotlight, with a smile on her face but tears in her eyes, she waved the flowers in her hand vigorously, and looked at every coach, teammate and staff present gratefully.
"It's really not easy to come this way." Her voice trembled slightly, but she was firm and full of emotion, "Every sweat, every hard work, has left a deep imprint in my heart." ”
That night, in order to commemorate this special moment, the teammates prepared a special gift for Zhang Rongfang - a precious and exquisite photo album, which was full of blessings and memories of the teammates. Turning every page, it is a period of good times, that indelible memory.
On this night, the members of the national women's volleyball team spent an unforgettable moment together. Everyone talked about the past and shared each other's joys, sorrows and sorrows. Zhang Rongfang felt the warmth of the team and the deep friendship of everyone.
At the end of the farewell party, the teammates shouted in unison: "Zhang Rongfang, we will always miss you!" She burst into tears and bowed deeply to everyone.
After retiring from the army, Zhang Rongfang served as the deputy director of the Sichuan Provincial Sports Commission and studied at the School of Telecommunications Engineering.
In July 1985, she married Hu Jin, a former national men's volleyball captain and setter athlete in Beijing.
Their shared interests and shared ideals made their relationship stronger, and although they were separated by work after marriage, Zhang Rongfang worked in Sichuan and Hu Jin stayed in Beijing, but their mutual trust and support kept their married life warm and stable.
One day in 1986, Zhang Rongfang sat in the study at home, leisurely flipping through volleyball skills books. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a crisp ringing of the phone.
She picked up the phone and heard an unexpected news - Deng Ruo resigned as the head coach of the national women's volleyball team. The leaders were anxious when they saw the upcoming competition, and they thought of Zhang Rongfang and Lang Ping.
The leaders found Zhang Rongfang and hoped that she could serve as the head coach of the women's volleyball team. The news was a blow to her mind, and she knew in her heart that this was a very responsible job, especially for an expectant mother who was already pregnant, and it was undoubtedly a great challenge.
On the other end of the phone, the leaders talked about the importance of the work and looked forward to her stepping up. Her fingers inadvertently clenched the telephone, and the contradiction in her heart burned. She thought of her husband, who was about to become a father, and of him in Beijing, and the warm family gradually came to mind.
"Maybe it's an opportunity and a challenge." She said to herself silently in her heart. She stood up and decided to take on the mission.
But the physical changes of pregnancy made Zhang Rongfang feel a lot of discomfort. During training, she often felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, and sometimes the water she spit out took on a pale yellow color. In addition, she was also troubled by edema, which caused her hands and feet to swell and often felt uncomfortable.
Even so, Zhang Rongfang led the team to win the championship in the 10th Women's Volleyball World Championship in September 1986, creating a miracle of "five consecutive championships".
05
In the spring of 1987, Zhang Rongfang ushered in the birth of her son Hu Shi in Beijing, which added a lot of warm family atmosphere to her life. Subsequently, she took over as the deputy director of the Training Bureau of the National Sports Commission, responsible for the women's volleyball team.
However, the results of the 1988 Seoul Olympics made the fans feel quite heavy. The Chinese women's volleyball team lost to the United States, Peru, and the former Soviet Union in the game, and finally only won the bronze medal. The emotions of the fans could not be calmed down, and they were full of resentment for a while. Although Zhang Rongfang is only the leader of the Chinese women's volleyball team, it has become an outlet for the anger of fans. Some even sent ropes and smelly insoles to express their resentment.
This sudden pressure made Zhang Rongfang, who has always been strong, feel extremely heavy. After suffering tremendous mental pressure, she could not suppress her emotions, and tears could not stop flowing.
The defeat of the Chinese women's volleyball team at the Seoul Olympics put the entire team in a difficult situation, and head coach Li Yao resigned due to this, which also made Zhang Rongfang's husband Hu Jin a high-profile successor. Hu Jin has won unanimous recognition from everyone for his studiousness, dedication and self-motivated mentality, and his fluency in English has added a lot of points to him. In order to avoid unnecessary criticism, Zhang Rongfang decided not to be in charge of the work of the women's volleyball team and focus on her leadership responsibilities.
After Hu Jin took over the coaching whip, he led the Chinese women's volleyball team to achieve remarkable results, winning the world runner-up twice in a row and the third place once, winning a reputation for the Chinese women's volleyball team. However, the results of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics caught everyone off guard, and the Chinese women's volleyball team only ranked 7th. This unexpected ranking caused Hu Jin's reputation to plummet, and he became what fans called an "incompetent coach".
This defeat also made Zhang Rongfang unfortunate to be hit by the pot. Some people have not understood the truth, but they unceremoniously accused her of supporting her husband to take the throne, thinking that she sacrificed the future of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
In 1999, Lang Ping stepped down as the head coach of the national women's volleyball team, and at this time the relevant departments began to look for a suitable successor. Hu Jin was confident, and Mao recommended himself, expressing his willingness to shoulder this responsibility. However, due to the previous leadership experience, Zhang Rongfang has reservations about her husband Hu Jin as the head coach.
They argued endlessly and even got into heated arguments. It wasn't until the higher-level leaders intervened and did work for Zhang Rongfang that the dispute finally came to an end. Faced with the leader's arrangement, Zhang Rongfang could only choose to accept it silently.
In order to fight a good turnaround, Hu Jin decided to devote himself to the training of the women's volleyball team, in order to lead the players out of the trough. He integrates almost every aspect of his life into training, eats and lives in the women's volleyball team, and always thinks about the players.
At the same time, Zhang Rongfang also felt helpless. Faced with the attack of heart disease and cervical spondylosis, she could only lie on the bed alone, unable to move. At this time, the only thing by her side was her son, who silently took care of her and gave her great comfort and warmth.
But the subsequent Sydney Olympics pushed the fragile Zhang Rangfang to the forefront of public opinion. The Chinese women's volleyball team only won the 5th place that year,
But at the Sydney Olympics, Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin were pushed to the forefront of public opinion again, and the Chinese women's volleyball team only won the 5th place that year. So, some people talked about it, some said that they opened a husband-and-wife volleyball shop, and some people said that the reason why Zhang Rongfang helped her husband take the position was to squeeze out Lang Ping.
These rumors made Zhang Rongfang's heart full of scars, and accumulated unspeakable pain in her heart.
In the time since, Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin have been living separately, and Hu Jin has gone to Sichuan and Fujian to serve as women's volleyball coaches. And Zhang Rongfang is not having an easy time, her physical condition is becoming more and more worrying, the old injuries accumulated over the years are gradually revealed, and she even sometimes even has difficulty going up and down the stairs.
One day in 2013, she suddenly suffered from lumbar spondylosis, making her almost unable to move. In the office, she was helpless and couldn't go home. Fortunately, my son rushed over after learning about the situation. He carried his mother downstairs, then carefully placed her in the car and took care of her.
In November 2015, Zhang Rongfang resigned from the position of deputy director of the Discharge Management Center due to health reasons and chose to go home to recuperate. It was a turning point, but it was also a reluctant but necessary choice for her.
In 2023, Zhang Rongfang will be 66 years old, and in her later years, Zhang Rongfang's physical condition is worrying. Blood pressure and blood sugar are often high, so you always have to bring some medication before going out. Her knee problems have also been bothering her, and after a little walking for a while, her legs will have dull pain. However, despite being no longer young, Zhang Rongfang, an athlete, still shows admirable tenacity and optimism.