Xi'an, 27 Sep (Xinhua) -- The applause and cheers that ran through the audience gradually subsided, and the last group of spectators left the venue. After 8 days of noise, the swimming and diving hall of xi'an Olympic Sports Center restored calm, leaving a pool of blue.
On the evening of the 26th, the swimming competition of the 14th National Games ended here.
One Asian record, three national records, veterans, rookies... For 8 days, athletes are here to fight and surpass. Some people meet better selves, some people find new goals. At the end of the song, laughter, tears, and hugs were left on the field, and persistence, struggle, and hard work were engraved in the heart.
【1】
A "relay of the spirit"
"This may be my last National Games. After the injury, I experienced a long period of lows, and the difficulties taught me to bravely face the ups and downs of the future. On the evening of the 25th, in the men's 100-meter butterfly final, li Zhuhao, the national record holder of the project and Zhejiang, was second with a difference of 0.33 seconds.
On September 25, Zhejiang's Li Zhuhao finished second in the competition with a time of 51.98 seconds. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wu Gang
Li Zhuhao said that after retiring, he wanted to become a swimming coach and achieve more people's dreams.
The dream of many athletes is precisely from the National Games.
"If I could, I'd keep swimming." On the 22nd, in the women's 200m individual medley final, 16-year-old Zhejiang teenager Yu Yiting defeated her idol and Olympic champion Ye Shiwen.
Also at the age of 16, Ye Shiwen soared in London. As the first athlete in the Chinese swimming world to combine the Olympic Games, the Long Pool World Championships, the Short Pool World Championships, the Swimming World Cup, the Asian Games, and the National Games, Ye Shiwen's experience in participating in this National Games was quite difficult, and she practiced herself to cry many times during the preparation, but never thought of giving up.
On September 22, champion Zhejiang team Player Yu Yiting (right) and runner-up Zhejiang Team Player Ye Shiwen hugged after the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xue Yuge
"The mentality of 'Little Miss Ye', including her efforts from the trough to the present, are worth learning from me." An athlete doesn't always be at the top, and I can empathize with her mood. She also often gives me advice and cheers me up, and she says that if I want to let go of the tour, the most important thing is to overcome myself. Yu Yiting said that she hopes that she can take the class of "Little Miss Ye" as soon as possible, but now the grades are not enough, she will work harder.
The veteran will never give up, and the young will burst with strength. In the rookie glittering national games, Chinese swimmers use actions to tell different "spiritual relays".
【2】
A self-challenge
The rookie who is not afraid of tigers aims to catch up with and surpass his predecessors, while the famous players who have experienced hundreds of battles are determined to surpass themselves.
On the 25th, the combined team composed of Zhang Yufei, Xu Jiayu, Yan Zibei and Yang Junxuan won the men's and women's 4x100m medley relay championships. Picking up the gold medal again, Zhang Yufei laughed and said that "there are so many medals that the cabinet at home cannot be put down."
On September 25, the champion team Yan Zibei, Yang Junxuan, Zhang Yufei and Xu Jiayu (from left to right) won the championship with a time of 3 minutes 43 seconds 33 seconds after the award ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xue Yuge
Behind the "fancy Versailles", the ambition of the new "queen of butterflies" is revealed. Zhang Yufei, who won two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and is regarded as the new leader of China's swimming world, has not slackened off in the national games. She signed up for multiple projects by herself, and there were competitions almost every day, which was a model worker. "In an intensive race, try your best to complete every event and get as close as possible to your best, or even surpass it."
At the end of the competition, Jiangsu famous Zhang Yufei won 4 gold and 1 silver at the National Games. "Give yourself a 99 on your trip." She admitted that due to her physical condition, she still left some regrets in the 200m and 50m freestyle events. At the same time, she also expressed her blessings to the women's 50m freestyle champion Liu Xiang.
On the evening of the 26th, when the audience was still cheering for Guangdong famous Yu Hexin to create a new national record for the men's 50m freestyle, Liu Xiang broke the Asian record held by herself in the women's 50-meter freestyle with a time of 23.97 seconds, and the whole audience boiled over again.
On September 26, the champion Guangdong team's Liu Xiang (left) and coach Cui Dengrong took a group photo at the award ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xue Yuge
At this moment, Liu Xiang, who has been famous for a long time, was in tears in the pool. "I didn't expect to break the record, but I just tried my best and focused on the process, and this result is also a testimony to my persistence."
【3】
A higher goal
"The Olympics are a milestone, not the end." Yu Yiting said, "As a young player, I still have a long way to go, and I want to learn more from the veterans. I hope to win glory for the country at the Asian Games. ”
Athletes who returned to the National Games from the Olympic Games found higher goals on the field, and the swimmers who trained with the famous athletes at the National Games also had higher expectations for the future.
On the same stage as Zhejiang's Wang Shun, who won the gold medal in the men's 400m medley at the National Games for three consecutive years, Tao Guannan, a young player in Guangdong who participated in the National Games for the first time, is full of expectations for the future: "Next, we must sink our hearts and practice well, and the next goal is to participate in next year's Asian Games." ”
Wang Shun, the Olympic champion who won 6 gold medals at the National Games and won a total of 15 gold medals in the individual National Games, has the same goal as the youngster: "Next year is the Asian Games at home, train well, and do what you need to do well." ”
On September 24, Zhejiang's Wang Shun won the championship with a time of 1:56.33 in the competition. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wu Gang
"Holiday first!" Finally it's time to rest! Xu Jiayu, a Zhejiang player who won 5 gold medals at the National Games, said: "The next step is to take a good rest, summarize this game, adjust to the best state, and then continue to start." ”
On the stage of the National Games, they gained applause and confidence, and also had a clearer plan for the direction of their future efforts.
"In the next Olympic cycle, I should be lifting every plate like a big barrel, not just focusing on butterfly swimming." Zhang Yufei said, "I want to be a more comprehensive swimming style (athlete), like the world famous Drexel. ”
"Go off the podium and start from scratch." Wang Shun said, "We will continue to move towards the goal of the Paris Olympic Games and unswervingly." ”
Editors: Ding Wenxian, Hu Jiali, Lu Yuchen, Xiao Ruixuan (Intern)