Zheng Ninali, in the name of China", "Almighty"

China News Service Xi'an, September 25 Title: Zheng Ninali, in the name of China", "Almighty"

China News Service reporter Xing Chong

After the last 800m race in Xi'an' rainy night, Zheng Ninali won the women's heptathlon championship at the National Games with 6,026 points, the only athlete among all the participating athletes to score more than 6,000.

This is the second time that Zheng Ninali has participated in the National Games, but this time is very unusual for her.

Four years ago in Tianjin, the 18-year-old was still called "Nina" and was seen as a rising star in the Canadian women's pentathlon. At that time, she competed as a Chinese overseas Chinese player, but due to the tight registration time, she could not prepare all seven events, only participated in the javelin competition, and even did not reverse the jet lag and went to the field.

Coming to the National Games again, she competed under the name of "Zheng Ninali". She said there was a Chinese power in the name. "This time I really felt like I was Chinese."

Zheng Ninali was born in a sports family, and her grandmother is Zheng Fengrong, a famous high jumper known as the "New Chinese Sports Primrose", and is the first athlete in China to break the world record in athletics. In the first 1959 National Games, Zheng Fengrong won two gold medals in the women's triathlon and high jump, and her husband Duan Qiyan won the men's high jump championship.

For various reasons, during the best period of Zheng Fengrong's sports, China did not participate in the Olympic Games, which became the biggest regret of her career. Zheng Ninali said that she grew up under China's training methods, and representing China to participate in the Olympic Games is her wish and her grandmother's long-cherished wish.

She joined China on her 20th birthday in 2018 and became China's first naturalized track and field athlete. The head coach of the Canadian athletics team has publicly stated that although he tried his best to retain, "her attitude is very firm." And this decision cost her three years of not being able to participate in international competitions.

Due to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games, Zheng Ninali "lifted the ban" in April this year and officially qualified to represent the Chinese team, and she saved enough Olympic points in only two months, got the ticket, and stood on the Olympic field as a Chinese athlete. She told reporters that at that moment, her grandmother was very excited, "She is very satisfied that I can compete." ”

Zheng Ninali's leg text has the words "dedication", which was written to her by her grandmother. She has been competing "with all her heart" throughout her sports career. Even Gong Lijiao, the Olympic champion of the shot put, said after seeing her training plan, "Seeing you practice like this, our training is not tired." ”

The women's heptathlon is indeed the most difficult event in the athletics field, requiring the completion of the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin, 800m seven events. At the Tokyo Olympics, Zheng Ninali finished tenth with 6318 points, setting the best result of a Chinese athlete in the Olympic women's heptathlon.

Almost the entire event of the National Games was rainy, and the last 800-meter run was carried out in heavy rain. In the end, Zheng Ninali won the championship with a total score of 6026 points, ranking first in all four individual events.

"Played ok." After the game, Zheng Ninali smiled and told reporters. She revealed that she lost 3 kilograms during the Quarantine period when she returned to China from the Olympics, and her physical condition was not very good, and it was generally good to get this result in such weather. "This time I came to the gold medal and achieved my goal."

Zheng Ninali called this year the "super busy season", and after changing nationalities, she almost competed non-stop. Ending with the national sports gold medal, Zheng Ninali aimed herself at the next cycle. "I'm tired now, I hope to adjust my body, and my biggest goal next year is to win the Asian Games."

After winning the National Games, Zheng Nina tried to follow in her grandmother's footsteps; participated in the Olympic Games and fulfilled her grandmother's wish. Zheng Fengrong, who is 84 years old, once said that he hopes to see his granddaughter on the Olympic podium in his lifetime, raise the national flag for China and play the national anthem.

In the name of China, Zheng Nina is moving forward in the "all-round". "The goal of [the Paris Olympics] is to get at least the top five, of course, there will be more expectations, look at it!" Zheng Ninali said. (End)

Source: China News Network