A talented girl
On a warm spring day in 1996, the Ye family in Hangzhou gave birth to their first daughter, named Ye Shiwen. The Ye family, who was originally from the blue-collar class, added infinite joy and vitality because of the arrival of this girl.
Xiao Shiwen is smart, lively and cheerful, and has become the pearl of the Ye family's favor.
When she was 6 years old, Xiao Shiwen followed her parents to the West Lake. Her delicate little hand touched the surface of the lake, and the water rippled in circles. "Mom, I also want to swim freely in the water, like a fish.
The mother kissed Xiao Shiwen's angular cheek and responded softly: "Okay, when you grow up, I will teach you to swim."
In a blink of an eye, in 2002, 6-year-old Xiao Shiwen entered the kindergarten class. On that day, the physical education teacher took a fancy to her tall figure and slender limbs, and took the initiative to find her parents, suggesting that she could be sent to learn to swim, and she was very qualified to be an athlete.
Xiao Shiwen happily ran home and excitedly shared the news with her mother. Remembering the agreement by the West Lake, the mother readily agreed and began to sign up for swimming training for her daughter.
The first two months were very hard, but Xiao Shiwen was not discouraged, but happily went to train every day and tried to adapt. Gradually, she became at home in the water, and her natural superiority began to manifest itself.
Two months later, she stood out and entered the professional swimming team, and began systematic and rigorous training.
Rose to prominence at a young age
Time flies, and Xiao Shiwen's physical fitness and explosiveness are increasing day by day under professional training. In 2006, at the age of 10, she participated in the provincial games for the first time, and she was full of confidence in the face of a competition full of strong players.
On the day of the competition, she slipped into the water like a fish, waving her arms vigorously, and her slender body turned in the water, like a nimble mermaid. At the last second, she calmly touched the wall and won the gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle, becoming the youngest swimming champion in the history of the Provincial Games.
After the game, Wang Dawei, the coach of the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Team, found Xiao Shiwen who was still floating alone, and said to her seriously: "I see great potential in you, and I am willing to provide the best coaches and training facilities, how about coming to my team?" Xiao Shiwen resolutely decided without saying a word, gave up the opportunity to reunite with her family, and followed coach Wang Dawei to the provincial swimming team.
Under the careful cultivation of Wang Dawei, Xiao Shiwen has repeatedly achieved good results in various youth competitions. At the 2010 National Championships, at the age of 14, she won the medley championship in one fell swoop.
After the game, the national team coach invited her to be selected for the national team to participate in the Guangzhou Asian Games, which was her first appearance on the international stage on behalf of the national team. In the final competition, her petite figure flew and shuttled in the water, and finally reached the podium, playing the Chinese national anthem, which also impressed the foreign audience with this Chinese teenager.
At the age of 15, he became a rising star in the swimming world
The success of the Guangzhou Asian Games has made Xiao Shiwen gradually grow into a new star in the Chinese swimming world. A bigger stage awaits her, and at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, she was selected by the national team as the youngest representative at the age of 15.
However, the day before her final training, she suddenly had a toothache and a large cyst on her tooth.
National team coach Wang Dawei noticed Xiao Shiwen's abnormal mood, and he comforted softly: "Olympic champions are obtained through hard training, turn pain into motivation, I believe you will do it!" As soon as the words fell, Xiao Shiwen regained his confidence and nodded by default.
On the day of the competition, Xiao Shiwen put on the Chinese team's iconic red flower swimming cap and stood on the field she was familiar with. As the lights of the circle lit up, she took a deep breath and threw herself into the water.
The first three strokes were done fairly well, but the pain of toothache churned from time to time, putting her in fourth place, a certain gap from the leader. The last 50 meters is her best freestyle, this is the moment of life and death! Xiao Shiwen gritted her teeth, kicked her legs hard, and her arms stirred vigorously, and finally overtook at the last second, struggling to touch the wall and win the championship! After the race, she covered her cheeks, which were still aching, and smiled tiredly and happily.
A 15-year-old girl who exploded with unlimited potential under bad circumstances and won the youngest World Championships championship in Chinese history, her name, Ye Shiwen, has since shined brightly in the world swimming world.
Everyone was raving about her and thought she would be the best hope to win gold at the London Olympics the following year.
Achievement Grand Slam makes history
In anticipation, the London 2012 Olympic Games have begun. The 16-year-old Ye Shiwen came to the ring with confidence, and she was eager to achieve a breakthrough in the highest halls.
On the day of the competition, Ye Shiwen tossed and shuttled in the water, and in the last swim, she did her best to beat the crowd, and finally won the 400-meter medley championship and broke the world record in this event! All the spectators were crazy, and the coach and teammates hugged each other excitedly and cheered and jumped.
In the subsequent 200-meter medley final, Ye Shiwen once again showed tenacious strength and calm judgment, and successfully overtook at the last moment and won the second gold medal in the medley.
This summer, a 16-year-old Chinese girl became the youngest double Olympic champion in history, and her name was inscribed in the Olympic history corridor, alongside Li Ning, the first Chinese women's swimmer.
In the same year, Ye Shiwen won one gold and one silver at the World Championships. In this way, she completed the Grand Slam from the Asian Games to the Olympic Games to the World Championships, creating a feat that no one else in the world swimming, and she is the youngest all-around female swimmer in the history of swimming.
In 2013, Ye Shiwen won gold again in the National Games, achieving an invincible golden slam from domestic to international competitions, which can be called the supreme glory of Chinese women's swimming.
Poor physical condition and declining grades
In the glory of the London Olympics, Ye Shiwen stood at the pinnacle of his life. But the good times didn't last long, and after the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, her physical condition declined.
There are many reasons for this, the key is that female swimmers from the age of 15-20 is a critical period of physical development, and various physical ability indicators have been improved and transformed in recent years.
For Ye Shiwen, his height has grown to 1.8 meters during this time, and his shoulder width and arm span have increased greatly. Although it may seem like the conditions are better, it will take time to actually adjust the new body balance.
What's more, her body has experienced a lot of ups and downs in the past few years, and she is more prone to recurrence of old injuries or new sports injuries.
The 2015 World Championships in Kazan was her worst physical condition. A week before the game, Ye Shiwen suddenly suffered an old injury to his right shoulder, with tearing tendonitis of the shoulder joint, which seriously affected the shoulder lifting action.
In desperation, she could only take injections and prescribe the right medicine, and barely quit the game. However, in the actual competition, she obviously felt that the pain in her shoulder took up most of her energy, and in the end, she only finished eighth, missing out on a medal.
After the game, she was interviewed with red eyes, and this was the first time in her life that she could not show her strength on the stage of the competition.
In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ye Shiwen's condition was still not good, and the first 400-meter medley was unable to qualify for the final due to lack of results.
In the next 200m medley final, she finished eighth and missed a medal. The former double Olympic champion has fallen to this point, and the outside world has discussed a lot, believing that this is the result of poor strength and self-aggrandizement, and it is a typical example of a flash in the pan.
Don't give up, willing to shine again
The period after the Rio Olympics was the most difficult time in Ye Shiwen's life. She was in the trough painfully searching for the motivation to take off again. Fortunately, she remembered her parents' advice when she was very young - only by working hard can she be invulnerable.
In the 2017 National Games, 23-year-old Ye Shiwen went out again with humility and determination. On the day of the competition, she turned her grief into motivation, released herself in every leg press and arm stroke, and finally turned around, she did her best to complete, and finally regained the gold medal! At the end of the competition, the coach and the team members excitedly threw her high, and she once again experienced the joy of making her dream come true.
After experiencing the ups and downs of life, Ye Shiwen has become more and more mature and steady. At the 2019 World Championships, she won another silver medal in the medley event. Today, she is still training on principle and is looking forward to performing at her best again at next year's Paris Olympics.
She aspires to show the world that she not only has talent and understanding, but also perseverance.