"Fall through our glasses, and his glasses don't move!"
In the men's 110-meter hurdles preliminaries of the Paris Olympics, Chinese player Xu Zhuoyi ranked first in the group with a time of 13.40 seconds and advanced to the semifinals.
Wearing glasses, polite, bookish, tall and thin, this appearance is a huge contrast to his wildness in the ring. Netizens ridiculed: "I thought it was an Olympiad, but it turned out to be an Olympics!" ”
Xu Zhuoyi at the Paris Olympics Source: Xinhua News Agency
Explosive "Brother Glasses"
Some people say that he is full of scholarly temperament, like Xu Zhimo on the track and field; Some people say that he looks like Gao Qisheng in the TV series "Hurricane", and the fierceness in the hurdles competition is just like the ferocity of this character......
Xu Zhuoyi (left) at the Paris Olympics Source: Xinhua News Agency
It is actually correct to say that Xu Zhuoyi has the style of a "scholar".
He is a freshman in the 2024 class of Tongji University, and according to the admission notice he posted on social media, he will report to the school on August 18, a week after the Olympics close. Like him, who became a freshman in Tongji this year's undergraduate as an athlete at the Paris Olympics, there is also diver Chen Yuxi.
Xu Zhuoyi's admission letter
He even became popular overseas. In addition to paying attention to the promotion of their own athletes in the 110-meter hurdles, Japan netizens also hotly discussed Xu Zhuoyi: "How can this skinny, glasses athlete run so fast", "I like this Chinese glasses player so much", "Do you actually wear glasses hurdles?" "He's so handsome, I hope his glasses don't fall off."
This young "glasses brother" who has only turned 21 in half a month does have a great background. He is Liu Xiang's junior brother, and his goal is to surpass the latter.
"Hurdles are fun"
Xu Zhuoyi was born in Xu Yao Village, Yexie Town, Songjiang District, Shanghai, he studied at Fangta Primary School in Songjiang District, and after graduation, he entered Songjiang No. 7 Middle School and started systematic track and field training. Although he only studied and trained there for just over a year, he recalls that the strong sports atmosphere and sportsmanship that pervade the campus of No. 7 Middle School still nourishes him to this day.
In 2016, at the age of 13, he entered the Shanghai No. 2 Sports School and embarked on the road of professional track and field athletes. "A lot of people think athletics training is boring, but I don't think so. From the beginning of running to the current hurdles, I find it fun. Xu Zhuoyi said. Relying on this love and persistence, coupled with more professional and systematic training, his competition performance has improved by leaps and bounds.
After that, he was guided by Sun Haiping, the "godfather of hurdles", and became the same disciple of the flying man Liu Xiang. In recent years, he has repeatedly achieved great results in major competitions at home and abroad, and has become a rising star in the Chinese men's 110m hurdles event.
Xu Zhuoyi (right) with Sun Haiping (middle) and others
In the first half of 2023, he won the championship with a time of 13.41 seconds in the Yangtze River Delta track and field sprint jump and relay group competition, and broke his personal best many times in the subsequent National Track and Field Grand Prix. At the Asian Athletics Championships in July of that year, Xu Zhuoyi won the second place with a time of 13.39 seconds, further proving his international competitiveness.
Xu Zhuoyi in the first half of 2023
The Hangzhou Asian Games in September 2023 is not only a stage for Xu Zhuoyi's performance, but also a severe test for him. Prior to this, the Chinese players had already set a "nine consecutive Asian Games championships" in the 110-meter hurdles, and the responsibility of maintaining this record and creating "ten consecutive championships" fell on him, who had just turned 20 years old at the time. The excessive pressure before the match affected Xu Zhuoyi's performance, and he finally won the bronze medal.
Xu Zhuoyi won bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games
"I'm sorry!" After the game, Xu Zhuo walked into the post-race mixed mining area, and the first thing he said tremblingly was to apologize, "I feel sorry for my master and seniors for not being able to keep China's ten consecutive championships." ”
"The young man promised Lingyunzhi and vowed to be the first class in the world." After the regret of the Hangzhou Asian Games, Xu Zhuoyi wrote these words on social media.
Rush into the Olympics
Fast forward to 2024, and he's speeding faster and faster on the runway. In the National Athletics Grand Prix, he maintained his good competitive form, winning the men's 110m hurdles in several stations.
Especially in the final of the Chongqing station on May 29, Xu Zhuoyi won the championship with a personal best of 13.22 seconds, and directly qualified for the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Chinese "post-00" athlete to meet the Olympic standard of the men's hurdle event. At that time, less than two months before the opening of the Paris Olympics, he brought a surprise to Chinese track and field.
Xu Zhuoyi's performance is quite golden, you must know that the wind speed of the competition that day is 1.2 meters per second against the wind, and it rains lightly in Chongqing at night, and the weather is cold and the track is slippery, which is not conducive to the athletes' results. It can be inferred from this that he has the strength to break 13.20 seconds or even hit 13.10 seconds.
At the 2024 National Track and Field Grand Prix in Chongqing, Xu Zhuoyi celebrates after winning the championship Source: Xinhua News Agency
In the Chinese men's 110m hurdles all-time rankings, Xu Zhuoyi's time of 13.22 seconds ranked fourth, behind Liu Xiang's 12.88 seconds, Xie Wenjun's 13.17 seconds and Shi Dongpeng's 13.19 seconds.
At the Tottori Station of the Intercontinental Tour in Japan, just four days after reaching the Olympic standard, Xu Zhuoyi ran another time of 13.22 seconds, tying his personal best to win the championship. He ran 13.22 seconds twice in a few days, showing his consistent competitive form and high technical level.
"Hurdles are our traditional strengths. I lost an important gold medal last year, so I worked a lot hard in winter training. In fact, I already thought before the competition that I would meet the Olympic standards, and the next step is to actively prepare for the competition and continue to improve my skills and speed. Xu Zhuoyi said.
After the Hangzhou Asian Games, Xu Zhuoyi focused on strengthening the start on the basis of consolidating the advantages of the future, and finally made a qualitative leap in the results. After rushing to the Paris Olympics, he was finally able to respond to himself on social media: "Do what you say!" ”
The future is promising
"In recent years, both the world and Asia, their 110m hurdles have risen very fast, so this new generation in our country must continue to work hard to catch up with them." Xu Zhuoyi is right. After Liu Xiang, Shi Dongpeng and Xie Wenjun, Chinese athletes were strongly challenged by Japan in the 110m hurdles.
Compared with Junsuke Izumiya, who was born in 2000, and Muratake, who was born in 2002, Xu Zhuoyi, who was born in 2003, has an age advantage. In addition, Xu Zhuoyi has a height of 1.98 meters, which consumes less energy when attacking the hurdles, and if the rhythm between the hurdles can be closer to Liu Xiang, there may be greater potential for improvement in the future.
In this Olympic Games, Xu Zhuoyi set himself the goal of hitting the top eight and reaching the finals. After advancing to the semi-finals, he said that Liu Xiang was his target to catch up. 'The Olympic record he set 20 years ago is still here, which is a motivation for me and now the goal is to try to catch up with him.'
Xu Zhuoyi (right) at the Paris Olympics Source: Xinhua News Agency
20 years ago, when Liu Xiang made history and won gold in the Athens Olympics, he was 21 years old, and he said that he would always remember this 21-year-old moment; A few days ago, Zheng Qinwen, who also made history and won gold, and was also 21 years old, mentioned Liu Xiang's words; The young Xu Zhuoyi is also about to celebrate his 21st birthday. Just a young classmate, in his prime; The scholar is angry and scolds Fang Xuan!
In the early morning of August 8, Beijing time, Xu Zhuoyi will step on the track of the 110-meter hurdles semifinals. Regardless of the result, the youth did not fail.
Source: Xinmin Weekly K25