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"Iron Lady" Zhou Jihong, a name that resounded throughout the country, has been deeply engraved on the glorious monument in the history of mainland sports. She is not an ordinary champion athlete, but the first athlete in the history of Chinese sports to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, and what is even more amazing is that she is also the first Chinese son and daughter to be honored with the International Water Hall of Fame.
Although Zhou Jihong's career was short, only four years, her dazzling achievements in the field of diving are difficult for later generations to match. Why? It is only because of her brave spirit that as a pioneer, she has paved the way to success for today's talented new stars like Quan Hongchan.
When Quan Hongchan won the diving gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics at the age of 14 and made a historic breakthrough, it is necessary for us to look back on the extraordinary journey of Zhou Jihong, a legendary figure, to feel her far-reaching influence and great contribution to Chinese diving.
Zhou Jihong was born in Wuhan in 1965 and showed a unique "tomboy" personality since he was a child. As a child, her favorite thing to do was to go with her older siblings to play in the river at the edge of the village, which often attracted severe reprimands and even punishments from her parents.
However, the parents soon discover that this mischievous daughter has an extraordinary talent for swimming, and she is free in the water like a cheerful little fish.
In order to sharpen Zhou Jihong's naughty and flamboyant personality, and also hope that she can thrive, her parents decided to send her to an amateur sports school in Hubei Province for gymnastics training. thought that this "tomboy" could be restrained and disciplined through strict training, but she never expected that Zhou Jihong would always be interested in gymnastics, and she would prefer to immerse herself in the pool and swim to her heart's content.
Fortunately, a discerning teacher noticed Zhou Jihong's talent for water sports, and he decisively asked Zhou Jihong to switch to diving. As expected, diving is Zhou Jihong's destiny.
Under the careful guidance of professional coaches, she quickly rose to become the best diver in Hubei Province, and was admitted to the national diving team just a few years later.
However, it is not easy to be on a team that brings together the best talent in the country. Zhou Jihong's teammates all have rich practical experience, and the original Zhou Jihong even suffered repeated setbacks in the game.
However, she never lost confidence or courage because of this, but turned pressure into motivation with overwhelming perseveranceShe knows that she is in the best youth of her life, a golden period when she can reach her full potential and create brilliant achievements.
In the year when Zhou Jihong turned 17 years old, she finally realized her dream and successfully qualified for the Olympic Games and became an official member of the mainland team.
In 1984, the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles undoubtedly became an important milestone in her life, due to the other team members were unable to compete due to accidental injury or illness, Zhou Jihong was ordered to take over the mission, and finally won the gold medal in the women's diving event with a total score of 435.51! This is not only the first time in her career to win the championship, but also the first gold medal in the history of China in the Olympic arena! This precious medal witnessed the glorious moment of China's return to the Olympic stage.
At that time, Zhou Jihong, who was only 19 years old, was not afraid of questions from foreign media, and responded firmly: "The position of this gold medal can only be occupied by me!" "Her unique personality, confident and calm attitude and unyielding determination are deeply memorable.
After only two years of brilliant achievements, Zhou Jihong resolutely decided to retire from the field and start a new journey in life. As a professional athlete, her learning opportunities were already quite limited.
After retiring from the army, she was arranged by the relevant departments to continue her studies in the English Department of Peking University, but due to her long-term focus on professional training, her knowledge of cultural courses was really limited, and she was often criticized by teachers in class, making it difficult to keep up with the progress, and finally had to choose to give up her studies.
Luckily, her excellence in diving was widely recognized, and in 1990 she returned to the national diving team, this time as a coach.
However, only three years later, in 1993, Zhou Jihong left the diving team again because she fell in love with Tian Bingyi and entered the palace of marriage, and both of them were sports coaches, so life naturally became busy and trivial.
In order to focus more on taking care of her family, especially her newborn daughter and the accompanying parenting responsibilities, Zhou Jihong, a famous coach in China's diving industry, had to make a difficult choice between coaching and family, and she resolutely chose to give up her high-intensity coaching job and devote herself to the role of a full-time wife, a decision that allowed her to spend five years.
However, during this time, the performance of the Chinese diving team has declined significantly, and it has fallen into a long and painful period of slump. As the first legend in Chinese history to win an Olympic diving gold medal, Zhou Jihong stepped up again and took over the leadership of the diving team in 1998.
Although she had a brief coaching role with the national team, she was not able to fully develop her talents and leadership at that time, and this time she was undoubtedly taking on a more difficult responsibility than ever.
In the face of doubts from the outside world, Zhou Jihong has always maintained a firm belief, and she has devoted all her energy to the training of the players. As a coach, she not only tried her best to impart her rich experience and wisdom, but also went into the water many times to demonstrate the operation, just to be able to guide and correct the movement posture of the players more intuitively.
When it comes to Zhou Jihong, people will naturally think of her resolute, stern and resolute leadership style. Under her leadership, the Chinese diving team presented an orderly and disciplined scene.
As soon as she gave the order, no one in the entire team dared to relax in the slightest. As the team leader, she is extremely demanding on the team members, but she is also an example and pursues excellence, and often goes into the water to demonstrate the operation in person during the training process, so as to correct the action posture of the team members in time.
In addition, Zhou Jihong is also resolute and decisive in safeguarding and defending the rights and interests of athletes. At the 2009 World Swimming Championships in Rome, Chinese diver Zhang Xinhua missed the chance to get on the podium in the men's three-meter springboard final due to a referee's low score.
At that time, the audience was furious and accused the referee of obvious unfairness. Zhou Jihong, the team leader, was furious, immediately took off his jacket, and walked straight to the referee from New Zealand to ask him if he was prejudiced against Chinese athletes.
Although the final result of the competition can no longer be changed, Zhou Jihong has never let go of this, and she firmly vowed to fight for the fair and just treatment that mainland athletes deserve on the world-level competitive stage!
There is no doubt that as an iron-fisted leader, Zhou Jihong's decision-making style has often caused widespread controversy. In particular, the grievances and hatred between her and Tian Liang, a famous mainland diver, have become a hot topic of discussion.
On the eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Tian Liang was at the peak of his career, and he could have won the gold medal with his outstanding performance, but inexplicably, he unfortunately missed the opportunity to participate due to Zhou Jihong's suppression.
Subsequently, rumors about Zhou Jihong's alleged bribery spread quickly in the sports world. Until 2016, at Tian Liang's wedding, the two former rivals finally let go of their previous suspicions and shook hands.
In the face of these doubts and controversies, Zhou Jihong always bravely faced the problem head-on and did not flinch. Perhaps it is her tenacious and decisive character traits that have given her the reputation of "Iron Lady".
And the shaping of this character is undoubtedly inseparable from her tortuous and bumpy life course. From a mischievous "tomboy", to the glorious moment of standing on the highest podium of the Olympic Games, to the various doubts encountered in his coaching career, Zhou Jihong has proved the deep meaning of this title with his practical actions.
As a legend, Zhou Jihong's outstanding contribution to the mainland's diving industry is undeniable. However, her saga did not end there, and a new chapter was written at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.
At this event, Zhou Jihong boldly enabled the 14-year-old Quan Hongchan to compete in the women's single 10-meter platform event.
This decision caused a lot of controversy and skepticism at the time. After all, Quan Hongchan's age is too immature, and the pressure on the Olympic field can be imagined.
However, Zhou Jihong obviously saw Quan Hongchan's otherworldly talent, and was full of great confidence in her.
Quan Hongchan has shown innate athletic talent and learning ability since she was a child. At the age of five, she was selected to enter the Henan Provincial Sports Brigade to receive diving training, and at the age of eight, she was awarded the honor of National Honorary Young Player, and at the age of ten, she became a member of the national youth team.
Since she was a child, she has been trained professionally and honed in international competitions.
At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, Quan Hongchan, who was only 16 years old, amazed the global audience! She won a heavy bronze medal in the fierce women's single 10m platform event final with her outstanding performance, showing her extraordinary swimming talent and unlimited potential!
It is precisely because Zhou Jihong has a unique vision, sees the endless potential of this young girl, and gives her extreme affirmation and trust, that she dares to boldly push Quan Hongchan to the world's highest level of the Tokyo Olympics.
As expected, on the stage of the Tokyo Olympics, Quan Hongchan won the gold medal with a total score of 513.20 points with an amazing score of five jumps and three perfect scores! Not only did she become the second athlete in Chinese history to win a gold medal in the women's single 10-meter platform event at the Olympic Games after Zhou Jihong, but she also set a new world record in the event, creating a new history!
What's even more exciting is that Quan Hongchan's performance at the Tokyo Olympics is far from stopping there. She then won a silver medal in the women's 3m single springboard event, and won a total of 1 gold and 1 silver, adding dazzling brilliance to the medal table of the Chinese delegation.
All these brilliant achievements are inseparable from Zhou Jihong's accurate prediction of Quan Hongchan's future development and her bold use. Quan Hongchan's wonderful performance in the Tokyo Olympics is undoubtedly the best interpretation of Zhou Jihong's discernment.
With the passage of time, Quan Hongchan's achievements will be more dazzling, and she will also become the next leader in China's diving industry. At that time, when we look back at Zhou Jihong's wise decision, its far-reaching impact will be self-evident.