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"Young Sword God" who won the gold medal for Hong Kong, China
On July 26, 2021, Zhang Jialang, an athlete from the Hong Kong team in China, defeated the previous champion Gazzolo in the men's individual foil final to win the gold medal.
Zhang Jialang was born in 1997 in Hong Kong to a sports family, and his parents were once professional basketball players. He inherited his parents' athletic genes, and his height is 1.93 meters, which is a standout on Hong Kong Island. He originally wanted to be a basketball player like his parents since he was a child, and his most admired idols were Rodman and Kobe Bryant in the NBA, and his favorite anime was Japan's "One Piece". The text is quiet, but the bones are full of blood and passion.
But at the age of 10, Zhang Jialang saw the fencing competition, was attracted by the handsome fencing suit and the heroic posture of the athletes, and began to learn fencing from then on.
Teenager Zhang Jialang
His parents were very supportive of his choice, and when he was 15 years old, his father took him everywhere to participate in the competition, and since he was not yet a member of the professional team, all the expenses were borne by himself.
When the Zhang family finished reading the fourth grade (equivalent to the first year of high school on the mainland), they made a decision: to quit school to become a full-time athlete.
Zhang Jialang and his parents
This decision was also supported by his parents, because in him, the parents saw unlimited hope.
The 2014 Asian Championships was the moment when Zhang Jialang officially debuted and was noticed. Zhang Jialang alone won gold medals in four events, so he was successfully recruited into the team by the Hong Kong fencing team and became a true professional athlete. This is not only an important moment in his career, but also a great burden for his family - after that, he does not have to pay for the competition.
Zhang Jialang then followed the Hong Kong fencing team to inCheon, South Korea to participate in the Asian Games and won the team bronze medal. In 2016, the 19-year-old Zhang Jialang participated in the Asian Championships and defeated several Asian stars in a row, including Japanese world champion Yuki Ota and Chinese Olympic gold medalist Lei Sheng, becoming the Asian champion.
2, Hong Kong Island is boiling
After becoming an Asian champion, Zhang Jialang's goal is to be an Olympic champion. To this end, he tattooed a five-ring tattoo on his arm as a way to make a clear statement.
In the years of preparation for the Olympic Games, Zhang Jialang often played with the Olympic champion and the world champion, there were losses and wins, it can be said that he already has the strength to win the Olympic championship.
A shopping mall in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, was crowded with people watching the game. People cheered along with Zhang Jialang's every score, and regretted with his every point he lost, and when Zhang Jialang took off his helmet to celebrate winning the championship, the whole mall fell into an ocean of celebration.
Before the final, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor posted an online article calling on Hong Kong citizens to watch the live broadcast and cheer for Zhang Jialang. She also watched the live broadcast with Hong Kong government personnel and witnessed the moment when Hong Kong won gold.
Li Lishan, who won Hong Kong's first Olympic gold medal in 1996, happened to be a commentator on the TV station, and she and Zhang Jialang also had a dialogue.
Li Lishan's first sentence was: "Thank you very much." We've been waiting for a gold medal for 25 years! ”
Zhang Jialang said: "When you won the gold medal, I was not yet born." ”
Zhang Jialang, Li Lishan
However, he was not carried away by the victory in front of him, and he knew very well how rare and fortunate it was in the real world to be able to do what he liked and achieve victory.
He said: "It is naïve and extravagant for the real society to talk about 'love'; but if you work hard for your dreams and work hard to do what you are doing, even if you don't get anything in the end, you have no regrets. When you are not even willing to pay, how can you finally complain that the results are not satisfactory? ”
The sword was sheathed and triumphant. Zhang Jialang is worthy of being a model for Hong Kong youth in this era.