The Paper's reporter Chen Jun
Chen Lijun.
"Sorry coach, sorry leader, sorry motherland."
These three "sorry" are no stranger to Chinese sports fans - at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Chen Lijun, a Chinese men's 62 kg athlete, suddenly cramped in the final, and after being checked and confirmed by the team doctor and coach, he could not insist on playing, and he had no choice but to abstain.
Finally in Tokyo, Chen Lijun surpassed himself - in the men's 67 kg final, Chen Lijun reversed the desperate situation, and after falling behind by 11 kg, he finally lifted 187 kg and won the gold medal! Break olympic records at the same time!
Chen Lijun had cramps in Rio.
A nightmare in Rio
As the 2015 World Championships champion in Houston, Chen Lijun was regarded as the most stable gold medal in Chinese men's lifting at the Rio Olympics, when his upset retirement surprised everyone.
In the pre-match warm-up picture given by the official, the coach of the Chinese weightlifting team has been massaging Chen Lijun's calf, which seems a bit strange.
The subsequent course of the game confirmed this accident, Chen Lijun first grabbed 143 kilograms, standing in front of the barbell he appeared to be less confident, the barbell did not mention the chest, fell.
The next second, without even lifting his knees, dropped the barbell and walked off the arena in frustration.
Two consecutive failures, the scene was in an uproar. The Chinese audience was even more confused, "What is the situation?" "How can this be?" What was even more surprising was that the electronic display showed that Chen Lijun had abandoned the back game.
For the first time after the game, Chen Lijun's tears rushed out, and afterwards he recalled, "That kind of bitterness can't be said, after all, the opportunity is too rare, and the mood is very heavy." ”
Before going to Tokyo this time, Chen Lijun also talked about the Olympic defeat: "That hurdle has not passed for almost half a year, but the 2017 National Games have passed." Because it's all in the past tense, you can't drill this horn tip, it will affect the training. When you pass by yourself, you will let go of your heart a little, and you will feel that it is okay. ”
Grasp every week of training
Being able to look at the pain of the past with such peace of mind, Chen Lijun has endured far more than we think, and in the new Olympic cycle, he has never wasted a minute or second.
After this year's Asian Championships, Chen Lijun returned to the training ground as soon as possible - and after the previous competitions, athletes often made appropriate rest adjustments.
At that time, in the face of the media, Chen Lijun said: "We must grasp every week of training, I can't lose a week, and after losing it, it will be too late." The high level of weightlifting is basically a competition with yourself, which is equivalent to as long as you lift well, the champion others will definitely not be able to move. ”
In these five years, Chen Lijun lifted not only a barbell every time he trained, but also a self-challenge.
After the Olympics, Chen Lijun first defended his title strongly at the 2017 Tianjin National Games, and then adjusted from the 62 kg class to the 67 kg class, but the momentum did not diminish.
In November 2018, the Weightlifting World Championships in Turkmenistan were a new appearance after Chen Lijun's adjustment of the level, and he won the double championship in the deadlift with 182 kg and 332 kg.
At the Asian Championships held in 2019, Chen Lijun set a new world snatch record with a score of 154 kg, and set a new world record in the deadlift with a score of 185 kg, and also raised the total world record to 339 kg.
At this year's Asian Weightlifting Championships, Chen Lijun won two gold medals with a total of 180 kg in the deadlift and a total of 333 kg.
Dark red scars
It seems that Chen Lijun made the best preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, but what is less known is that injuries and illnesses during this period almost made him lose again and again.
On the back of Chen Lijun's right upper arm hung a very conspicuous dark red scar, nearly 15 centimeters long, which was a new wound. During a match last October, he fractured his arm tendon, leaving this long scar after surgery.
For a weightlifter, it is difficult to fully recover from such a large injury less than a year before the Olympics, and the tragedy of being knocked down by injuries at the Rio Olympics will be repeated? But Chen Li's military actions proved that he would not be defeated.
From tendon rupture surgery to postoperative muscle recovery to resuming training and going to the field, Chen Lijun only took six months, although he and coach Yu Jie only spoke a few words to the media, but the hardships can be imagined.
In addition to physical function, there is also a psychological barrier that is more sad, weightlifters often have palpitations in the face of the weight that has injured themselves, and many people can't step over this hurdle and can only regret leaving.
Chen Lijun once said about his recovery: "The most important thing is self-breakthrough, when the breakthrough to 150 kilograms, 180 kilograms of weight, I feel that the place where the operation is fine, even if I can not practice as much as before, as long as there is no adverse reaction at that intensity, I will be full of confidence." ”
In the eyes of coach Yu Jie, the disciple has completed the transformation: "The athlete's mood will definitely be affected after being injured, because he is not able to train normally like before the injury, which requires a transition period." If you recover and your ability goes up step by step, confidence will naturally return. ”
"The most special point is that after this injury, I feel that Chen Lijun's mentality is more positive, people have become more cheerful than before, and they can think about problems, this is his progress, this kind of ideological maturity, for his future stable play is very important."
No one knows what strength Chen Lijun used to get out of the prison of pain, perhaps he never forgot in his heart that he still had an unfinished mission - to win the Olympic Championship.
When he won the 2017 National Games, Chen Lijun said that he only "took a small breath"; when he won the 2018 World Championships, he said, "I can finally say that I have come out of that shadow.".
However, only by standing on the top podium of the Tokyo Olympics can Chen Lijun really make up for his regrets – this day, he finally did it.
Editor-in-Charge: Ascendas