1977 was a seemingly ordinary day in Zhou Jihong's life, but it became an important turning point for her. This year, the young Zhou Jihong stepped into the door of the Hubei diving team and began her legendary journey in the diving world.
Who would have thought that this former gymnast would become a bright star in the Chinese diving world in just a few years?
Zhou Jihong's talent soon became apparent, and in 1981, she won a national competition in one fell swoop, which amazed the infinite potential of the crowd. This victory opened the door for her to the national team, and just a year later, she managed to make it to the national team and embark on a journey to a higher level of training.
In 1984, Zhou Jihong ushered in the challenge of the Los Angeles Olympics. However, the trick of fate made her originally a substitute player have to be ordered to be in danger. When the 19-year-old Zhou Jihong stepped on the Olympic stage, her main player Lu Wei was unexpectedly injured, and Zhou Jihong had to shoulder heavier responsibilities.
Standing on the jumping platform, Zhou Jihong's heart beat faster, but his eyes were firm. She knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and she had to give it her all. When she completed her final jump, the audience was in a state of flux.
Zhou Jihong not only won China's first Olympic gold medal in diving, but also proved the potential of Chinese divers with her own strength, her eyes flashed with tears, and the corners of her mouth hung an irrepressible smile.
After "one jump to fame", Zhou Jihong could have continued her athletic career, but she chose an unusual path. With the aura of an Olympic champion, she resolutely chose to retire at the summit and stepped into the gate of Peking University instead.
This decision has puzzled many people, but Zhou Jihong already has a longer-term plan in her heart, she knows that education will open a new door for her future, and this hard-won honor is enough for her to "eat for a lifetime".
Zhou Jihong has written a legendary story through her own choices, but her life is much more than that, and here are more stories about her.
In 1998, the Chinese diving team was at a low point and had no outstanding results. At this critical moment, Zhou Jihong, who has been retired for many years, received an unexpected invitation: to be the coach of the national diving team.
In the face of this challenging opportunity, Zhou Jihong has mixed feelings in her heart, she knows that her athlete experience is a double-edged sword, on the one hand, she understands the psychology and needs of athletes; On the other hand, she lacks coaching experience and faces a lot of skeptical stares.
However, Zhou Jihong has never been afraid of challenges. In the face of this "critical order", she did not hesitate to take over the role, rolled up her sleeves, and started her coaching career. She is desperate to prove that she is up to the task, and she desperately needs to do it with great results.
Zhou Jihong's efforts have yielded remarkable results. In her first season in charge, the Chinese diving team achieved amazing results at the World Championships: winning nine gold medals in 10 events.
This achievement made everyone look up to her, and also allowed Zhou Jihong to gain a firm foothold in the diving world.
However, the road to success is never easy. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the Chinese diving team suffered a setback. The women's double 3m springboard, men's double 10m platform and women's 10m platform events lost one after another, and only Xiong Ni saved a gold medal for the team in the men's 3m springboard event.
This defeat brought a heavy blow to Zhou Jihong, but it also inspired her to have a stronger fighting spirit.
Undeterred by her defeat, Zhou Jihong worked hard with the athletes for the next Olympic Games, and paid more attention to psychological construction and technological innovation. At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the Chinese diving team achieved excellent results of 6 golds, 2 silvers and 1 bronze, re-establishing its hegemony in the world diving community.
In this process, Zhou Jihong not only cultivated a group of excellent diving stars, but also taught them how to deal with the pressure of the competition and how to maintain their original intention after becoming famous. Among them, the most dazzling are Guo Jingjing and Tian Liang.
Seeing these young people shining on the field, Zhou Jihong's eyes were full of pride and relief.
However, Zhou Jihong is well aware that the lure of fame can cause some athletes to lose themselves, and as a responsible coach, she is always vigilant to ensure that athletes do not deviate from the right track.
Her strict management style laid the groundwork for some of her future decisions.
After the 2004 Athens Olympics, the results of the Chinese diving team reached a new peak, and Tian Liang, as the star of the team, his fame also climbed to the peak. His handsome image has won him a large number of fans, and invitations to business events are endless.
However, when a new round of training was about to begin, Tian Liang took a half-year leave on the grounds of physical discomfort.
Zhou Jihong became suspicious of this. After investigation, she found that Tian Liang not only frequently participated in commercial activities, but also did not even ask for the consent of the swimming center in these activities.
What's more serious is that Tian Liang also signed contracts with other companies without authorization, which seriously violated the team rules and betrayed the team spirit.
Zhou Jihong, as a highly principled coach, cannot tolerate this kind of disregard for the law. Although she knew that the expulsion of Tian Liang, a big-name star athlete, would cause a lot of controversy, she still made a very difficult but resolute decision: to expel Tian Liang from the national team.
This decision was like a bombshell that caused a huge shock in the swimming world. Many people accused Zhou Jihong of "suppressing" Tian Liang, and the Internet was flooded with all kinds of negative comments. In the face of these doubts, Zhou Jihong chose to remain silent, but she firmly believed that her decision was correct and was to maintain the discipline and spirit of the team.
However, the troubles didn't end there. In 2008, a "bonus door" turmoil once again pushed Zhou Jihong to the forefront. Yu Fen, the former coach of the national team, wrote a letter to the Discipline Inspection Commission of the General Administration of the People's Republic of China, questioning the "cronyism" of the diving team.
What's more, Yu Fen also revealed that he was embezzled with huge prize money, and claimed that many coaches and athletes were treated unfairly.
These accusations are like a sharp sword, directly hitting Zhou Jihong's personality and professional ethics, and immediately made her a "street rat" pointed at by everyone. In the face of these accusations, Zhou Jihong chose to fight back with practical actions.
After a comprehensive investigation, the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China issued a statement firmly denying Zhou Jihong's claim that he had embezzled the prize money without permission. The turmoil has gradually subsided under the public's attention. However, this incident has had a certain impact on Zhou Jihong's reputation.
In the face of these turmoil, Zhou Jihong realized that as a public figure, her decision-making would be scrutinized in a nuanced manner. But instead of changing her principles and beliefs, these experiences have made her stronger and more aware of her responsibilities.
Zhou Jihong is still firmly contributing to China's diving industry in her way.
After ups and downs, Zhou Jihong did not stop moving, but strengthened her pace of progress. She knows that to achieve greater success on the international stage, it is not enough to rely on the excellent performance of her players.
She looked further and began to think about how to strategically enhance the international status of the Chinese diving team.
Zhou Jihong made a key decision, that is, to suggest that Guo Jingjing obtain a referee qualification certificate for international competitions, which reflects her foresight. She deeply understands that the Chinese diving team has suffered unfair treatment in international competitions, and only by having a certain say in the referee's seat can this situation be truly changed.
With the encouragement of Zhou Jihong, Guo Jingjing successfully obtained the qualification of international referee. This is not only a great achievement for Guo Jingjing, but also for China to win a greater voice in the international diving community and lay a solid foundation for fair competition in the future.
Zhou Jihong's innovative spirit is not limited to this. On the eve of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she decided to use the 14-year-old newcomer Quan Hongchan to compete. Although the decision has sparked a lot of controversy, many people worry that Quan Hongchan is too young and lacks major competition experience to perform steadily on a big stage like the Olympics.
However, Zhou Jihong saw the potential of Quan Hongchan, and she noticed that Quan Hongchan's splash disappearance technique was overjoyed, and she was convinced that this young girl could shine in the Olympic arena.
Zhou Jihong's vision is accurate, Quan Hongchan made a stunning appearance at the Tokyo Olympics and won a valuable gold medal for the Chinese team.
These decisions of Zhou Jihong not only reflect her outstanding vision, but also demonstrate her innovative spirit. She can always make the right choice at a critical moment and promote the continuous development of Chinese diving.
Her strategic vision has won more advantages and respect for the Chinese diving team in the international arena.
Despite Zhou's remarkable success in strategic decision-making, her coaching style continues to be questioned. Especially after Quan Hongchan became popular, some people began to accuse Zhou Jihong of favoring another outstanding athlete, Chen Yuxi, and there were even rumors that she was secretly suppressing Quan Hongchan.
These questioning voices reached their climax in a post-match group photo, in which Zhou Jihong hugged Chen Yuxi tightly, with a relieved smile on his face. However, Quan Hongchan, who was standing on the other side, did not get the same intimate treatment.
The photo sparked heated discussions online, with many believing it to be evidence of Zhou Jihong's partiality.
The incident did not stop there. In a game, Quan Hongchan was accused of "maliciously" scoring low, while Chen Yuxi scored a higher score. This once again sparked dissatisfaction among netizens, and some even made comparison charts to question the fairness of the ratings.
I saw that Quan Hongchan had a good posture of hugging her legs, but Chen Yuxi made a small mistake, but the final result was 85.8 points for the former and 94.05 points for the latter.
In the face of doubts from the outside world, Zhou Jihong did not choose to escape, but chose to respond with actions. In public, she has said many times that Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan are very good athletes, and there is no good or bad.
She stressed that she has been trying to be fair to every athlete, but the public always seems to be inclined to look for contradictions and drama.
It is worth noting that Chen Yuxi is an athlete born in a sports family, while Quan Hongchan is a "noble son from a poor family" from the countryside, who stands out by his own hard work, which also increases the public's doubts about Zhou Jihong's way of doing things to a certain extent.
However, despite the controversy, Zhou's achievements are undeniable. Under her leadership, the Chinese diving team has continued to achieve excellent results, and batches of new diving stars have sprung up.
Whether it is Chen Yuxi or Quan Hongchan, they have shown amazing strength in the international arena.
Zhou Jihong's coaching style may not be understood by everyone, but she always adheres to her principles and beliefs, and proves her ability with practical results. She firmly believes that only fairness and justice can truly cultivate excellent athletes.
Despite the controversy, Zhou Jihong's vision and ability have been tested by time, and she still contributes to China's diving industry in her own way and cultivates more outstanding diving talents.
In October 2023, Zhou Jihong was appointed as the director of the Swimming Sports Management Center, which is undoubtedly another milestone in her career and a new challenge with great responsibility. Zhou Jihong knows that this position requires her not only to continue to pay attention to the development of diving projects, but also to coordinate the management of the entire swimming sport.
As the 2024 Paris Olympics approached, Zhou Jihong's work tasks began to increase. She needs to be well prepared for the upcoming Olympics to ensure that Chinese swimmers can achieve another great feat on the world stage.
It's a big challenge for her, but it's also an opportunity to show what she's capable of.
Zhou Jihong looked back on his career and was full of emotion. From athlete to coach to current management position, she has experienced countless challenges and doubts. But it is these experiences that have shaped her strong character and vicious vision.
She believes that her experience and wisdom will continue to promote the development of China's swimming industry.
Despite Zhou Jihong's controversy, her achievements in the diving world are obvious to all. She has cultivated generations of diving talents, won more voice for China in the international diving community, and continuously promoted the innovation and development of Chinese diving.
Standing at a new starting point, Zhou Jihong looked into the distance. She understands that the road ahead is still challenging, but she is well prepared. Whether it is cultivating new talents or formulating strategies, she adheres to the consistent principles and innovative spirit and is committed to contributing to the development of China's swimming industry.
It is believed that under the leadership of Zhou Jihong, Chinese swimming, especially diving, will continue to shine in the international arena.