Paris, September 7 (Xinhua) -- On the evening of September 7, the North Paris Arena, far from the city center, was crowded, and the Chinese and American women's sitting volleyball started a fierce gold medal battle for the sixth time on the Paralympic stage.
Facing taller, stronger, younger, and more technologically sophisticated old opponents, the Chinese women fought hard to the last goal, and finally won the silver medal, and the United States team defended the title.
On September 7, the players of the Chinese team at the award ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Cheng
"We've been holding back a lot of energy for the past three years, and we've wanted to win this gold medal so much that it's a bit of a fluctuation in our mentality. When I was at home, I imagined the five-star red flag being raised on a seated volleyball court countless times. At the moment when the national flag was raised today, I felt very lost. After the game, Zhang Lijun, a veteran who participated in the fifth Paralympic Games in her career and won 2 golds and 3 silvers, cried.
Chinese women's sitting volleyball has won three consecutive Paralympic championships in Athens, Beijing and London, but lost to the United States team at the Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games, relegating to second place. For the past three years, the team has been sitting on the floor almost every day, moving their bodies with their hands and hips, practicing every movement they need on the field.
"It's not easy to sit and play than to stand and jump, first of all, you have to be able to sit still, but also be able to move flexibly, the players have suffered a lot in training, and there are a lot of calluses on their hands and buttocks." 41-year-old captain Xu Yixiao said. A former professional volleyball player, she was accidentally introduced to sitting volleyball after being disabled by an injury, and it took a long time for her to gain experience.
On September 7, Xu Yixiao (above), a player of the Chinese team, attacked during a match. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter He Canling
Previously, in the group stage of this tournament, the Chinese team defeated the United States team 3:1. "The final is to see who can withstand the pressure and perform extraordinarily, and we can be regarded as playing at the usual training level, so we have no regrets." After calming down, Xu Yixiao said.
The average age of the six main players is 37.5 years old, but they are full of skill and strength on the field, and they are full of skill and strength on the field, and they are not inferior to their opponents in the slightest.
42-year-old Lu Hongqin and 40-year-old Zhang Xufei, who participated in six Paralympic Games and participated in and witnessed the glory of the Chinese team winning three consecutive championships, Lu Hongqin also resolutely returned to competition after recovering from a torn meniscus. Zhang Lijun handed her over to her family when her child was four months old, just to create another glory with her teammates before retiring.
On September 7, Zhang Lijun (above), a player of the Chinese team, serves the ball during a match. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter He Canling
"I spend more time with my teammates than my family, and I feel like my teammates are family." Xu Yixiao said that almost all of the other team members have children, and they have to make great sacrifices in terms of families. "But the spirit of the women's volleyball team is to never give up and win glory for the country. Standing on the highest stage of the Paralympic Games on behalf of the motherland is a pride and an infinite honor for all of us. ”
There is only one gold medal in sitting volleyball, and some young people prefer to devote themselves to events with more medals, so the team is a bit lacking. The veteran players did not have the idea of giving up - Zhang Lijun, who originally planned that this would be her last Paralympic Games, considered going to Los Angeles to fight again, and Xu Yixiao, who was already deeply rooted in the volleyball dream, was even more so.
China's Wang Yanan (center) celebrates scoring during a match on September 7. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Cheng
Sitting volleyball has opened up another possibility in their lives. Xu Yixiao continued her volleyball dream as she wished, and appeared on the stage of international competitions that she once dared not imagine; Wenchuan earthquake survivor Tang Xuemei has a "highlight" life because of sitting volleyball; Wang Yanan, a dancer who was disabled in a car accident, once thought about suicide, but gained a different kind of excitement in sitting volleyball......
The "No, I Have No Regrets" by the famous France singer Edith · Piaf played in the stadium seems to echo the competitive career that Chinese female players are trying to burn - a life that lives hard, without regrets.
Source: Xinhua News Agency