TOKYO, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Two days after the match ended, Huatian was still frustrated by the mistakes made in the obstacle course.
On August 2, China's Huatian was in the competition. Photo by Zhu Zheng, Xinhua News Agency
"It was a huge mistake and I still can't let go. Honestly, I was very disappointed in myself. Huatian said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency at the Olympic News Center.
In the race on the evening of the 2nd, Huatian left too much space in front of the last obstacle, causing the mount "Don De Janeiro" to crash directly into the obstacle. In the end, the Chinese team participating in the equestrian triathlon team competition for the first time ranked ninth, and Huatian ranked 25th in the individual race.
Huatian described the Tokyo trip as a "roller coaster", and on the first day of the dressage dance competition, he ranked third. In the second cross-country race, play normally. The third competition, he also knew that this was the least good obstacle course for "Don De Janeiro", and despite his caution, he did not expect to make mistakes.
When he walked out of the arena, Hua Tian barely controlled his emotions during an interview with the TV station, but when he met the text reporter behind him, he could no longer stop the tears.
"It's a tough Olympics, every athlete has been preparing for it for a long time, and you've put all your energy into it. I'm already an experienced rider and should never make such a mistake. ”
Hua Tian's most disappointing point was that he had disappointed his horse. Equestrian competitions require communication between people and horses, horses are not tools of competition, and people and horses are equal. Huatian knew that the field obstacle was the weakest of "Don Genelo", "Don Genelo" was very hard at the competition, Huatian believed that it was his own mistake, so that the horses lost the opportunity to play. It's like a doubles game where your own mistakes weigh on your teammates.
However, Huatian hopes to come out of the shadows as soon as possible, after all, it is only an "atypical" mistake. "I know what's going on, I just left too much space. I was angry and disappointed in myself. ”
Of course, the horse can't speak, and Huatian can completely push the responsibility on the horse, but he said that he does not want to shirk the responsibility.
"I'm not afraid to take responsibility for my mistakes. I think if you make a mistake, it's very important to admit it honestly. I'm proud of the performance of the horses. ”
Under Hua Tian's leadership, the Chinese equestrian team qualified for the Olympic team for the first time, and finally ranked ninth among the 14 participating teams, which also made history. Huatian is proud of the achievements of the Chinese team, and he is also glad that his mistakes did not affect the team results of the Chinese team, but only led to the decline of individual results.
On August 2, China's Bao Yingfeng was in the competition. Photo by Zhu Zheng, Xinhua News Agency
After the last obstacle mistake, Huatian patted the horse's neck and said softly, "I'm sorry dude, it's my fault." "When the staff re-erected the obstacles, they went back and easily crossed the obstacles to complete the race.
"I think it has accepted my apology." HuaTian said.
Speaking of future goals, Huatian said that the cycle of the Paris Olympics has been shortened to three years, and the time is urgent, and he hopes that the whole team will make plans as soon as possible to find new horses. He himself will also meet with relevant industry insiders before the end of the year to seek support and help in preparation for the next Olympic Games. As for the near-term goals, it will be next year's Asian Games in Hangzhou and the World Championships in Rome.
"The Asian Games and the World Championships are very important goals. Of course, I'm not just thinking about my plans for the next 3 years, I'm also starting to think about preparing for the next 7 years of training and racing, and thinking about what kind of horses to invest in. ”
This is Huatian's third time representing China at the Olympic Games, and as a Mixed-Race Chinese-British, he said he is increasingly enjoying the feeling of representing the country. He also made a lot of friends with the national team and had an unforgettable two weeks, and he was even very satisfied with the cardboard bed in the Olympic Village.
"Athletes' villages can never be synonymous with luxury, that's not what we're here for at the Olympics, we're not here to sleep in a queen-size bed. We are here to represent the country, to fight for the country, to participate in the sport that we love. So I slept soundly in a cardboard bed. ”
Huatian is about to leave Tokyo to return to his home base in The United Kingdom, where his family is waiting for him, where five or six horses are waiting for him in the stables, and there are several important races to be played this year, which will be the qualifications for next year's World Championships and Asian Games.
"Team ninth place may not sound particularly exciting, but given the history of our whole team and the background of equestrian sports in China, it's already a good result and we've built a good platform for the future." He concluded by summing up his trip to the Olympics.
Produced by the Xinhua News Agency's Tokyo Olympic Games Reporting Group
Source: Xinhua News Agency