Xi'an, 20 Sep (Xinhua) -- After several days of rain, on the 20th, The sky in Xi'an was clear and the sun was shining brightly. As the first race in the athletics event of the 14th National Games, the men's 20 km race started at 8 a.m. Race walking veteran and London Olympic champion Chen Ding finished fifth in 1 hour, 22 minutes and 36 seconds.
"Retired, comeback, resumed training until now, the Olympic Games were not selected, the fifth place in the National Games, for such results, I do not regret." It's been a tough one, but it's worth it, and after today, I'll be back in the background. Chen Ding said after the game.
Data chart: On August 4, 2012, Chen Ding celebrated after winning the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Yong
The London 2012 Olympics were the highlight of Chen Ding's career, winning the gold medal in the men's 20km race walk with a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes and 46 seconds, becoming the second Chinese male athlete to win the Olympic gold medal in athletics after Liu Xiang.
At the 2013 Moscow Athletics World Championships, although Chen Ding crossed the finish line for the second time, the russian Ivanov, who won the championship, was banned for drug involvement, and his world championship gold medal was also deprived, and Chen Ding became the world champion.
In the following years, Chen Ding's state fluctuated, and the results of the competition were not satisfactory. After the 2016 Rio Olympics, Chen Ding has been plagued by injuries. After finishing fifth at the 2017 National Games, Chen Ding quietly retired.
Looking back at 2012 and 2013, Chen Ding admitted that every game was under great pressure at that time. "At that time, I felt that I must play a good level to be worthy of everyone's support and my years of efforts." Looking back now, I was under too much pressure at that time. There is no general who always wins, and it is normal for achievements to fluctuate, and it is normal to be content and happy, and to face it with a normal heart. Chen Ding said.
Data chart: On May 7, 2016, China's Chen Ding was in the competition. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Yu
After retiring from the army, Chen Ding started his own family at the end of 2017. After that, his identity changed from a player who fought on the field to a referee who enforced the law on the sidelines. In May 2018, Chen Ding's participation in the world race walking team championships impressed him. In that competition, the Japanese men's athletes came out of nowhere and won the individual and team championships in taicang, the home of the Chinese team, in the 20 km and 50 km events. After this competition, Chen Ding strengthened his determination to make a comeback.
In October 2018, Chen Ding began to resume system training in preparation for his comeback. However, the road back is not easy. On the one hand, his wife just gave birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix fetuses at the end of August, which made Chen Ding more concerned about his family; on the other hand, being away from the field for more than a year also made Chen Ding's physical function decline significantly, and some new injuries appeared.
In 2019, Chen Ding participated in several games that were not satisfactory. "Although every game did not meet expectations and every persistence was difficult, I cherished it. Race walking is a sport that has reaped success in the face of adversity. Chen Ding said.
Data chart: On September 19, 2020, Guangdong player Chen Ding was in the competition. Photo by Zhu Zheng, Xinhua News Agency
At the National Race Walking Championships and Olympic Trials held in March this year, Chen Ding lost again. "I haven't come out of the blow for a long time, and I didn't expect that the 1 hour and 21 minutes that I could easily achieve before has now become a hurdle."
Before the National Games, Chen Ding had been preparing for the battle in Kunming as planned. Like the previous National Games, he also finished fifth this year. "I felt physically bad at the beginning of the walk, but this was my last game and I didn't want to regret it. So I still insist on fighting, and I can walk faster and count one lap. Chen Ding said.
After the race, Chen Ding said that he would leave the track, but would not leave the race walking career, China race walking is still at the top level, and he hopes to continue to contribute to Chinese athletics.
"In the future, I will integrate into sports with a new identity, not only race walking, but also try new things." But my future will be closely related to athletics projects. Chen Ding said.
Editors: Zhang Yueshan, Huang Xuguo, Wu Junkuan, Wang Yilin (Intern)