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On a hot summer day in 1986, the 10th Women's Volleyball World Championship was about to kick off, and unexpectedly, Deng Ruo, the former head coach of the national women's volleyball team, had to resign due to health problems.
This is undoubtedly a huge challenge. At the moment of crisis, Zhang Rongfang, who has been coaching the Sichuan volleyball team, was ordered to take over this heavy banner resolutely.
At that time, Zhang Rongfang was already a veteran of the Chinese women's volleyball team, once wore a shirt, fought the court, and led the team to win a number of world championships. Now, she is the head coach of the national team, but she also has to bear a lot of pressure while giving birth to a new life.
Every day on the training ground, Zhang Rongfang is busy from morning to night, and often stands unsteadily due to morning sickness. But she always gritted her teeth and insisted, for fear that the players would lose their fighting spirit due to their pregnancy.
Fortunately, with the patient guidance of senior teacher Yuan Weimin, Zhang Rongfang finally formulated a new set of tactics with the cooperation of the players, so that the players could regain their fighting spirit and work hard for the upcoming World Championships.
Finally in the final in October 1986, the Chinese women's volleyball team defeated the strong rival Cuba 3:1 and won the World Championships, continuing its "five consecutive championships" legend.
Zhang Rongfang was moved to tears, extremely proud of herself and the team's efforts. This victory not only made her famous, but also marked her coaching career.
At this moment, although Zhang Rongfang's heart was full of joy, she was also faintly worried. She knew she was pregnant, but for the sake of the team's honor, she kept it a secret.
Now that the victory is in hand, she can't help but look forward to regaining her health as soon as possible and continuing to play for the national women's volleyball team.
In the early 80s of the last century, when the national women's volleyball team was gaining prestige on the international stage, a handsome and upright young man also joined the ranks of the national men's volleyball team. He is Hu Jin from Liaoning, who has quickly grown into the main player of the national team with his excellent setter skills.
At that time, the national men's and women's volleyball teams practiced together in the same training hall, and Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin often met. Hu Jin is a good learner of English, often hiding in the corner by himself to concentrate on reading, and Zhang Rongfang sometimes can't help but peek at this handsome boy.
However, after careful consideration, Hu Jin finally politely declined. He was worried that the two belonged to different provinces, and he was afraid that there would be many inconveniences in his future life.
However, Zhang Rongfang was attached to this relationship in every way, and finally took the initiative to confess her heart to Hu Jin after a chance encounter.
Zhang Rongfang stared at Hu Jin and begged, "Am I so weightless in your heart?" This sentence was like an accurate bullet, which instantly moved Hu Jin, and it turned out that he had been hiding his inner love.
Since then, the two have walked hand in hand into the sweet road of love.
In 1981, Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin finally entered the palace of marriage. They have a deep affection for each other and witness this precious affection together.
However, as fate would have it, the burden of life soon befell the newlyweds.
One winter day in 1984, 27-year-old Zhang Rongfang officially withdrew from the national women's volleyball team. That day, she said goodbye with tears at the farewell ceremony, reluctance and attachment were intertwined on her face, and tears rained down.
After retiring, Zhang Rongfang returned to her hometown in Sichuan and served as the deputy director of the Provincial Sports Commission. She did not give up studying, but rushed to Chengdu Telecommunications Engineering Institute for further study and worked hard to enrich herself.
At the same time, the wedding of Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin, which was supposed to be held in the spring of 1985, had to be postponed indefinitely.
Until one day in July 1985, Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin finally got married. However, due to the needs of the two of them, they still chose to live separately.
Hu Jin remained in Beijing, while Zhang Rongfang returned to familiar Sichuan.
The newlyweds were once sweet and happy, but their lives were once again separated by work. Although the married life of relatives and friends around them is gradually on the right track, for Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin, this long-distance life has become a difficult dilemma for them to get rid of.
Whenever Hu Jin called from Beijing to ask about the situation at home, Zhang Rongfang always smiled and said to him: "Everything is fine at home, you don't have to worry." But after hanging up the phone, she often shed tears alone, and tears soaked her cheeks.
The young son often looked at his mother's puzzled eyes, wondering why his father had been absent for a long time.
Despite the hardships of life, Zhang Rongfang never gave up her hopes for the future. While shouldering the burden of the family, she continued to pursue progress in her work, showing great tenacity.
This women's volleyball star, who once worked the court, is now also striding forward on a new road, fighting endlessly for herself and her family.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympics was the heaviest moment for Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin. At that time, the Chinese women's volleyball team suffered a heart-wrenching three-game losing streak at the Olympics, only finishing seventh.
This result is undoubtedly a heavy blow, and the majority of fans have pointed the contradiction at Hu Jin. Some radical fans even spread rumors about "mom-and-pop shops", slandering Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin on purpose.
The kind-hearted Zhang Rongfang couldn't bear to let her husband be attacked, so she took the initiative to give up the right to lead the Chinese women's volleyball team.
Although the record was not all smooth sailing, Hu Jin still relied on his excellent tactical skills and decisive decision-making ability to successfully resolve the team's crisis. Facts have proved that his coaching strength is obvious to all, in the 2003 World Cup and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the Sichuan women's volleyball team won the championship under his leadership.
These brilliant results undoubtedly proved Hu Jin's strength, but in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the Chinese women's volleyball team once again failed to achieve its wish, only finishing fifth.
Hu Jin was once again slammed by the fans, and some even shouted the slogan "Down with Hu".
Despite his doubts, Hu Jin did not give up on his dream. He remains focused on his coaching career and strives to improve the overall strength of the team. On the difficult road, he has always maintained his enthusiasm for the volleyball career, and his perseverance is admirable.
In the days when the two were separated by a long ocean, family life was also in trouble. Zhang Rongfang's physical condition is deteriorating, and the herniated disc in her lumbar spine makes her feel very painful to walk.
This couple, who are over the age of six, can't take care of each other, which makes people sigh.
Luckily, the loving couple finally had their long-lost reunion moment in 2017. Hu Jin officially retired after the National Games and returned to Beijing.
He was finally able to take good care of his sick wife and share the family's chores. At the same time, his son Hu Shi and daughter-in-law Tong Lingxue, who live in Beijing, also come to visit both parties from time to time, so that this big family reunited after a long absence.
At the joyous moment of their son's wedding, Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin hugged each other and cried, finally able to put down the burden of many years of work and enjoy the joy of family. Hu Jin had red eyes, and sincerely thanked his wife for her silent dedication and support over the years, if it weren't for her tolerance and understanding, I am afraid that he would have given up the career of volleyball.
Zhang Rongfang stroked her husband's face and said gently: "I know that you have been paying for your family and national volleyball career. Although these years have been hard, I have never resented it.
I couldn't be happier to be with you at my son's wedding. The two hugged each other and cried, and their relationship became deeper and deeper.
At this moment, Zhang Rongfang can finally let go of years of physical pain and take care of her body. With the careful care of her husband and children, coupled with the reunion of family members, she regained the courage and hope for life.
She is sincerely grateful to the goddess of fate for her to finally be able to reunite with her loved ones in the last days of her life.
Looking back on the life history of Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin, it is not difficult to find that their love and dedication to volleyball have always run through it. Whether it's fighting on the field in jerseys or directing the team with the whip, they are all wholeheartedly committed to the pursuit of their own glory.
Even though their fate is difficult and their lives are hard, they still unswervingly walk on this road, and their belief in winning glory for the country has never wavered.
The stubborn Zhang Rongfang, with her petite figure and unique smashing skills, has grown rapidly in the national women's volleyball team and has become the mainstay of the team. When she succeeded Deng Ruozeng as the head coach, although she was a top player, she still fulfilled her duties and led the team to fight tenaciously, and finally won the championship in the 1986 Women's Volleyball World Championship.
This victory not only made Zhang Rongfang famous, but also drew a strong mark on her coaching career.
Although Hu Jin failed to lead the Chinese women's volleyball team to win the gold medal in the Olympic Games, he still insisted on struggling in the volleyball career. From 1989 to 1999, he coached the Chinese women's volleyball team and the Sichuan women's volleyball team, and won many awards such as the third place in the World Cup and the runner-up in the World Championships, making significant contributions to the development of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
Even at a low point in their lives, the two never gave up their tireless devotion to volleyball. After Zhang Rongfang voluntarily quit the women's volleyball team, she has been supporting her husband Hu Jin's coaching career, although her physical condition has deteriorated seriously, she still insists on taking care of her family and creating the best working environment for her husband.
In his later years, after Hu Jin retired, he also actively responded to Zhang Rongfang's invitation and returned to coach the Sichuan women's volleyball team to continue his love for volleyball.
It is this kind of tireless dedication to the cause that has created Zhang Rongfang and Hu Jin, a brave and persistent volleyball couple. Although the trajectory of their lives was bumpy, they eventually came to light, and we were moved.
Whether it is the hard work on the court or the dedication off the court, they have always contributed their strength to the national volleyball cause and composed a touching legend.