Yangzi Evening News Network, August 29 (reporter Tang Min Yin Xiaoping Zhang Chenyao), in the women's epee final of the 13th National Games, Xu Anqi, a Jiangsu athlete and member of the women's epee champion at the London Olympic Games, defeated Shanxi's Hao Jialu 10:9 to win the championship, which was Xu Anqi's first gold medal in the individual event of the National Games, and it was also the 13th gold medal won by the Jiangsu sports delegation at the National Games. After the game, Xu Anqi accepted an exclusive interview with the Yangtze Evening News reporter, and behind this national sports gold medal was both happiness and joy, but also full of tears.
The "double whammy" struck
Xu Anqi once did not dare to expect the gold medal of the national sports
As the world number one player in the women's epee ranking last year, it is reasonable to say that Xu Anqi's gold medal at the National Games should be a piece of cake. However, after the game, Xu Anqi said that this year used "all tears" to describe the difficulty.
The first major blow came at the Rio Olympics. The Rio Olympics was Xu Anqi's first appearance in the Olympic individual event, and Xu Anqi, who ranked first in the women's epee world at that time, was pinned high hopes before the competition. However, because of the preparation period before the Olympics, Xu Anqi's thigh root strain has not been healed. In the first round, she lost to France's Marie Florence, who was only ranked No. 31 in the world. Although Xu Anqi and his teammates have since joined forces to win the silver medal in the women's heavyweight team, the "round trip" has hit Xu Anqi quite hard. After the Rio Olympics and the year of the start of the National Games, Xu Anqi described herself as "playing a bad game for 1 year" and never being able to get back to her former state.
Xu Anqi was interviewed after the game. Photo by Yin Xiaoping
The disaster was not alone, I expected the National Games to play a beautiful turnaround battle, but the injuries before the All-Games struck again. Xu Anqi told the Yangtze Evening News reporter: "A week before the start of the National Games, my legs still felt problematic. But fortunately, the sports bureau, the sports institute and the team are very concerned about my injuries, and the protection and recovery measures for me are in place, so that I can overcome the injuries and play better and better in the National Games. ”
At the moment of winning the final, Xu Anqi looked up at the sky and roared. She said excitedly, "So happy! The National Games are held every four years, and in this National Games cycle, I overcame my leg injury and finally showed my strength in the National Games. The National Games are also held every four years, and the National Games gold medal is as important as the Olympic champion in my mind. Although Xu Anqi won gold and silver in the international arena, in the National Games, she only won the gold medal of the women's epee team at the 12th National Games, and in the individual event final, she lost to her provincial teammate Luo Xiaojuan. Winning the championship this time, Xu Anqi finally realized the dream of winning the personal project.
Xu Anqi and coach Xu Xuening celebrated together. Photo by Yin Xiaoping
Husband did not come to cheer and went fishing?
In fact, he is also the behind-the-scenes hero of the gold medal
At the Tianjin National Games, many family members of athletes who are expected to win gold have come to the scene to cheer, such as Hui Ruoqi and Zhang Changning of the Jiangsu women's volleyball team. However, Xu Anqi told the Yangtze Evening News reporter: "My husband did not come to Tianjin this time. When the reporter asked her husband where he had gone, Xu Anqi playfully said: "Went fishing." ”
Photo by Xu Lijun
Xu Anqi's husband is Wang Sen, a member of the Anhui Epee Team, and the two of them held a wedding in Nanjing last year. Newly married for less than a year, why didn't her husband come to the scene to cheer xu Anqi? Xu Anqi said: "We are all athletes, we all know the importance of maintaining a calm mind before the game, he did not come mainly for fear of disturbing me. ”
However, Xu Anqi revealed that although the husband and wife usually do not communicate fencing things, but at the critical moment, the husband still became a hero behind the scenes. It turned out that during the critical period of preparation for the National Games, Wang Sen specially came to the Jiangsu team to work as a two-week practical sparring partner for his wife. Having a high-level male player as an opponent is very helpful for Xu Anqi to improve her state. Xu Anqi said: "My husband has helped me a lot at this National Games, and this gold medal should have half of his. ”
The Jiangsu fencing team has always had a tradition of veterans returning to win gold, such as the former Xiao Aihua and this year's Zhongman. When the Yangtze Evening News reporter asked Xu Anqi if she would continue to fight in the future National Games, the playful Nanjing girl sold Guanzi, and she said: "I will talk about it when the time comes." In fact, Xu Anqi, who is only 25 years old, is not a veteran, and her fencing career will not end because she won the national championship. However, after the full luck, Xu Anqi may face a series of life problems such as giving birth to children. Of course, the Jiangsu Heavy Sword Sister solemnly said at the end of the interview: "As long as Jiangsu needs me, I will definitely have no remorse." ”
Edited by Zhao Tian