Among the Chinese sports delegations at the Tokyo Olympics, there is an Olympic "elder of the four dynasties" who has attracted much attention, and she is Wu Jingyu, a taekwondo star who is about to play in the Olympic Games for the fourth time.
Wu Jingyu, 34, has a string of "historical firsts" in her name: at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, she won the first small Olympic gold medal for Chinese taekwondo; at the 2012 London Olympics, she became the first small-level Olympic champion in China's taekwondo; in September 2017, she won the Guinness World Record for the "most taekwondo women's gold medal (lightweight players)"; this year, she once again attacked one of the first places in the history of taekwondo – striving for a personal Olympic third gold.
For an athlete, the effort to participate in the four Olympic Games is very imaginable, if it is not driven by dreams, if it is not supported by his family, it will be extremely difficult to go all the way down. Fortunately, Wu Jingyu has the full support of her family, and her small family also has a huge relationship with the Olympic Games. Wu Jingyu's husband, Hou Kun, is a member of the IOC's Cultural and Olympic Heritage Committee, and their daughter's English name, "Gloria", was named after IOC President Bach, and the family was affectionately called "Chinese family" by Bach.
Wu Jingyu, who is preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, conducts pre-competition training.
Return to the training ground from school
At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Wu Jingyu stopped in the final four and lost the third gold of the individual Olympic Games. After the Olympic Games, at the age of 29, she chose to retire and concentrate on becoming a physical education teacher at Chinese Min University, returning to the normal state of ordinary people and loving her daughter in 2017. However, despite all the good news, wu Jingyu's heart will still be a little uneasy when she occasionally thinks of the regrets left at the Rio Olympics... At this time, Hou Kun once again firmly supported Wu Jingyu, which was also the second time he supported Wu Jingyu's return to the field. It wasn't an easy decision for this small family.
It is often said that behind a successful man there is always a woman who silently supports him, in fact, the reverse is not the case.
Wu Jingyu and Hou Kun met after the 2012 London Olympics. At a taekwondo campaign, Wu Jingyu met Hou Kun, who was three years older than herself, and the two fell in love at first sight and chose to register for marriage on July 13, 2013, the 12th anniversary of Beijing's successful Olympic bid.
As a promoter of Olympic culture, Hou Kun has been engaged in the promotion of Olympic culture in the world and the study of Chinese Olympic history, and the 2012 "Hou Kun Olympic Tour" made him widely known.
After marriage, Wu Jingyu could not let go of her love for taekwondo and wanted to continue to compete in the Rio Olympics, and Hou Kun supported her decision. Now, when the regret at the Rio Olympics has once again become a hidden pain in Wu Jingyu's heart, Hou Kun chooses to support his wife to play again.
Where you fall, you have to get up – Wu Jingyu wants to get back on the field, as an athlete, she wants to further interpret sportsmanship in this way; as a mother, she wants to set an example for her daughter, telling her what it means not to be afraid of losing, regardless of success or failure.
"I miss Mom"
At the end of 2017, Wu Jingyu quietly quit her job as a university teacher and returned to the training ground. In 2019, after a year of hard training, Wu Jingyu did not ming, a blockbuster, in the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Sophia Station, she defeated Rio Olympic champion Kim Joo-hee and won the world championship again!
In December 2019, Wu Jingyu scored 48 Olympic points and qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games. However, the outbreak of the epidemic in 2020 suddenly struck, and the Tokyo Olympics were postponed. For Wu Jingyu, who is already 33 years old, she is once again faced with a choice, and as a result, she has no hesitation in choosing to stay, close the training camp with her teammates, and wait for the late Olympics.
Hou Kun said that since Wu Jingyu prepared for the Tokyo Olympics, he and his daughter-in-law had to meet her every day through video. In the Spring Festival of 2021, Wu Jingyu trained with the national team in Hainan, Hou Kun flew over with her daughter, and the family had a hard time spending the Spring Festival.
After that, the national team continued to train, and the family could only meet on video. Two weeks ago, after the Chinese taekwondo team's training camp in Taiyuan ended, Hou Kun took her daughter to the training base to help Wu Jingyu pack her bags and prepare for the fourth Olympic journey. Hou Kun said: "Wu Jingyu will be closed when she returns to Beijing, and our family will not be able to face each other." That family reunion, Jing Yu was very happy, it was a visit to relatives before the trip. I remember that the day before Jing Yu left, I was blowing my daughter's hair after bathing, and her daughter suddenly said, 'I miss my mother'. In the more than three years since the birth of her daughter, the family has rarely been reunited. ”
The "Olympic reunion" has been disrupted by the epidemic
According to the original schedule before the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, Wu Jingyu's competition was on July 25, 2020, and the next day was her baby daughter's third birthday. Originally, at the invitation of IOC President Bach, as an ambassador for olympic culture promotion, Hou Kun would bring his daughter and Wu Jingyu to reunite with his family at the Tokyo Olympic Games. However, the pandemic has disrupted these arrangements. After the Tokyo Olympics were postponed for a year, Wu Jingyu's competition was changed to July 24. Hou Kun said: "Two days after the game on the 24th, my daughter will be four years old, and we can give my daughter a birthday on the 'cloud'. ”
Entered the Olympic Village for the fourth time
As the "elder of the four dynasties" of the Olympic Games, this trip to the Tokyo Olympic Games is also Wu Jingyu's fourth stay in the Olympic Village, which is a very special experience, especially in the context of epidemic prevention. Wu Jingyu said: "This time from Beijing to arrival in Tokyo, staying in the athletes' apartment in the Olympic Village, is still relatively smooth, the delegation headquarters has done a lot of support work, creating a safe and comfortable environment for the members of the Chinese delegation." ”
After the Chinese taekwondo team stayed in the Olympic Village, training began on the same day. Wu Jingyu said that the venues and canteens of the Olympic Village were in place, which made everyone's hanging heart let go of some. I believe that athletes from all over the world also understand the purpose of coming here, and they will also do their own epidemic prevention work and complete their goals. As Chinese athletes, what we can do well is to manage ourselves, take protective measures, and adjust our state.
For the situation of the Olympic Village, Wu Jingyu said that compared with the Rio Olympic Village, which is built in a city with high-rise buildings, the athletes' apartments in the Tokyo Olympic Village are somewhat small, but they can see the confluence of the river and the sea through the window, and the scenery is good. The meals in the village's athletes' canteen are also delicious, which is enough for athletes to compete.
Normal play is enough
Due to the IOC's reduction of the number of non-staff to the minimum, Hou Kun, as the ambassador of Olympic culture promotion, was unable to go to Tokyo, but his Olympic culture promotion work was not affected, and he even gave Wu Jingyu in Tokyo a "tour guide" of Olympic culture. Hou Kun said: "According to tradition, it is the Olympic truce, and I suggest that Jing Yu and her teammates have time to go to the truce wall to sign peace. In addition, the Olympic Franchise Store also has some licensed items worth collecting, and I have recommended them. ”
Of course, for Wu Jingyu, standing on the Olympic field for the fourth time, winning glory for the country, and realizing his dream is the first. In this regard, Hou Kun said: "In fact, for Jing Yu, the fourth time to go to the Olympic arena is itself a victory. Participating in the Olympic Games means more to an athlete than a medal. The Olympic Games are not only for the sake of competing results, but also for the exchange of human beings on peace and progress. Of course, I also hope that Jing Yu can play a good result and win glory for the country, and I expect her to play at a normal level, which is enough. ”