Sun Yiwen won the championship, and the coach carried her up to celebrate. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
In Rio 5 years ago, Sun Yiwen, who stood on the Olympic stage for the first time, had no pressure, because she had Sun Yujie and Xu Anqi around her, and today, 5 years later, she has become the number one main force of the Chinese women's epee team. After winning the bronze medal in the women's individual epee and the silver medal in the women's team epee at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sun Yiwen once again achieved a breakthrough on the evening of July 24 and stood on the highest podium of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Take the lead
Kill old opponents and let the five-star red flag shine again
The women's individual epee competition began on the first match day of the Tokyo Olympics, and the Chinese women's epee team, which competed in full quota, sent Sun Yiwen, Lin Sheng, and Zhu Mingye, which were the three main players of the team in the team competition.
In the round of 32, all 3 people easily advanced. In the 16-in-8 competition, Lin Sheng was eliminated by the Italian players, Sun Yiwen and Zhu Mingye directly encountered, and finally Sun Yiwen advanced to the top 8. Among the top 8 players, Sun Yiwen became the "only seedling" of the Chinese team.
In the quarter-finals, Sun Yiwen beat the Italian player who had previously eliminated Lin Sheng 11-10. In the semi-finals, sun Yiwen, who was becoming more and more courageous, defeated a player from the Russian Olympic Committee team and entered the final. The opponent in the final is Romanian star Popescu, and the two have a difficult fate.
Sun Yiwen celebrates the gold harvest. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
In the women's team epee final of the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, the Chinese women's epee team composed of Sun Yiwen, Sun Yujie and Xu Anqi was defeated by the Romanian team led by Popescu, watching the opponent win the championship. At the 2019 Military Games, Sun Yiwen won the women's individual epee championship, and the final opponent was also Popescu.
Encountered again in the final of the World Series, Sun Yiwen did not relent at all. In the decisive moment of the gold medal match, the two sides fought 10-10, and Sun Yiwen sealed his throat with a sword, once again letting the five-star red flag shine on the Tokyo Olympic Games. After the game, Sun Yiwen's foreign coach looked more excited than the disciples, shouted loudly and ran around the field, came over to carry Sun Yiwen on his shoulders, and finally draped the five-star red flag on Sun Yiwen.
A new era
Create new history and also charge towards the team gold medal
As early as the end of the Rio Olympics, with the temporary fading of sun Yujie and Xu Anqi from the national team, Sun Yiwen became the leader of the Chinese women's epee team. The young players around her have changed from wave to wave, and she has always been the number one main force, leading the team to win gold and silver in the World Championships, Asian Games and other venues.
At first, Sun Yiwen was also very uncomfortable, after all, she only debuted on the Olympic stage in 2016, and this role change was too sudden, but she did not retreat, but gritted her teeth and carried the burden on her shoulders. Leading the team to team qualification and competing in individual competitions with her teammates, she celebrated her second Trip to the Olympics this summer.
Sun Yiwen and the five-star red flag group photo. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
Looking back at previous Olympic Games, the Chinese women's epee is not without gains. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the Chinese women's epee team led by Li Na won the team bronze medal. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, Sun Yujie, Li Na and Xu Anqi worked together to create history, winning the women's team epee gold medal, and Sun Yujie won the women's individual epee bronze medal. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sun Yiwen won an individual bronze medal and a team silver medal with his teammates.
After 5 years of alternating between the old and the new, Sun Yiwen stood on the Olympic stage in a new capacity and once again created the history of the Chinese women's epee, which was the first individual gold medal in the history of the Chinese women's epee team in the Olympic Games.
"These years have been a little more calm, and the goal of life is not just a gold medal." In an interview before the Olympic Games, Sun Yiwen seemed very relaxed, and it is precisely with this calm and self-assured mentality that good results will come to fruition. On the evening of July 27, Sun Yiwen will also join hands with Lin Sheng, Zhu Mingye, Xu Anqi and other teammates to launch an attack on the women's team epee gold medal.
The Beijing News sent a special Tokyo reporter Xu Bangyin to report
Edited by Wang Chunqiu Proofread by Lu Qian