Chengdu, August 30 (China News Network) Title: Sichuan athlete Dong Chao won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games: "Returning the results to zero" and continuing to struggle
Author Yue Yitong Chen Jing
"I received a lot of congratulations from friends and family today, thank you very much. I will put today's results behind, go all out, start from scratch, and try to achieve more and better results in the next three competitions. On the evening of the 30th, Dong Chao, a Sichuan athlete who had just won the gold medal in the men's 10-meter air rifle standing position R1-SH1 level competition at the Tokyo Paralympic Games and achieved the paralympic individual three consecutive championships, said.
At the Tokyo Paralympic Games, Dong Chao will also participate in the mixed 10-meter air rifle horizontal shooting, the 50-meter men's rifle three-position, and the 50-meter mixed group horizontal shooting 60 shots. In the eyes of the four-time Paralympic shooting veteran, every game with the mentality of learning from athletes from all over the world, maintaining a normal heart, paying more attention to the process than the result, may be one of the reasons for his victory.
Dong Chao (center) standing on the podium. Photo courtesy of Dong Chao
Dong Chao was born in 1985 in Zigong City, Sichuan Province, and unfortunately had his left leg amputated due to a car accident at the age of 3. Since the beginning of his shooting career in 2004, he has achieved remarkable results, gathering Paralympic, World Championship, World Cup, Asian Paralympic champions, realizing the dream of "Grand Slam", also known as "one-legged gun king".
The process of winning gold can be described as ups and downs. Wang Ping, head coach of the Chinese disabled shooting team, said that Dong Chao did not play well due to foot pain during the qualification round, ranking sixth. Before the final, he communicated with Dong Chao, summarized the problems, and encouraged him to show his strength well. "I told him that this gun in your hand has been with you for 12 years, and the gun has not been a problem, which proves that God bless you, in the face of the best players from all over the world, you must exert your momentum to win, you must be able to." 」
"The biggest difficulty is the adjustment of mentality." In this game, the unqualified play was Dong Chao's most nervous moment, and he was worried that he would not be able to adjust his state in time. Talking about the mood at that time, he bluntly said that it was "a bit close to collapse". Later, after several twists and turns, Dong Chao was very excited: "At that moment, I felt that I did not live up to my mission. ”
"Today, every time Dong Chao raises a shot, the firing time is more than 30 seconds, and under normal circumstances, it is more than 10 seconds." Recalling the game process of Dong Chao that day, Wang Ping admitted that it was very difficult, and she was nervous and sweated. "He said his heart was beating so hard after raising the gun that it took time to calm down, and it was really nerve-free to shoot every shot."
In Wang Ping's view, Dong Chao did his best to win this gold medal, and it is not easy to adjust his state while playing during the game, but his advantage is that he can calm his mind during the competition, dare to fight, dare to let go of himself. "In the next three competitions, if Dong Chao plays normally, there is hope of impacting the medal."
Sichuan athlete Dong Chao won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games. Photo courtesy of Dong Chao
In fact, the postponement of the Tokyo Paralympic Games for one year has had a certain impact on the state of the athletes. Dong Chao said that due to the impact of the epidemic, the closed training time has been extended, and the separation time between himself and his family has also become longer. "My children are relatively young, I can't go home when I'm training, and I often miss them. This also had a certain impact on my training state at that time, and after slow adjustment, I calmed down. ”
After the Tokyo Paralympic Games, athletes will return to China and will be quarantined for 21 days, during which they will not be able to train normally, and then they will go to the China Paralympic Games. Dong Chao said that continuous participation in large-scale competitions is a greater test of body and mind, and the most important thing during the period is to rest and adjust, and try not to be loose, and to maintain a relatively tight state of the event. "During the quarantine period, I plan to summarize the lessons of the Tokyo Paralympic Games, exercise moderately, adjust my status, and strive not to gain weight." Dong Chao laughed.
"Shooting is a very important part of my life. I couldn't have been where I am without shooting. "Dong Chao has a deep affection for shooting. He said that shooting competitions are projects that challenge and surpass themselves, and he will continue to work hard and look forward to good results in the next Paralympic Games.
After the Tokyo Paralympic Games and the Chinese Paralympic Games, Dong Chao looks forward to returning to his home in Chengdu to spend time with his family and give himself a long vacation. "I miss my mother and wife so much about the meals I made, and when I get home, I have to eat a good home-cooked meal." Dong Chao smiled heartily. (End)
Source: China News Network