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Just today Greek weightlifter Jacovidis cried after the Tokyo Olympics and announced that he could no longer continue his sports career due to financial difficulties.
Theodoros. Yakovidis tearfully revealed his current situation: he had almost no income in his sports career, receiving only 200 euros a month from sports federations, and the funds could not do physical therapy at all.
The therapist knew that he was financially strapped and would not collect money, which caused a loss of dignity, and he could not accept this situation in his heart.
Not only was he unable to undergo physical therapy, but he was poor and didn't even have money to refuel his car, so he had to walk to the training ground.
In our consistent understanding, Olympic athletes are the heroes of the country, the heroes of the nation, enjoy honor and fame, and have a decent life.
And Theodoros. Yakovidis, however, was limited by his poverty and had to put an end to his sports dreams.
This can't help but make people sigh, it turns out that athletes are such a high-profile, popular industry practitioners also have such dark moments.
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You may not believe that in China, a weightlifter who has won more than 40 national championships and more than 20 Asian championships, known as the "first lux in Asia", died forever because of poverty in his founding year.
On June 19, 2003, "Southern Weekend", a reporter named Li Haipeng wrote an article "The Death of a Weightlifting Champion".
For the first time, the tragic story of talent is displayed in front of the world.
You should know that weightlifters need to constantly adjust their weight for their own participation, which is a very destructive thing in itself.
And one or two hundred kilograms of barbells have brought a lot of irreversible damage to their bodies over the years.
After retiring from the army, because he stopped lifting weights, he could not continue to maintain his health, suffered from sleep apnea syndrome, and suffered from poverty and bad living habits for many years.
Caili, who weighed more than 160 kilograms, vomited numbly and died without dignity.
His legend forever stopped at the age of 33.
Caili's death dealt a heavy blow to his whole family, and Caili's wife could only take up the burden of life alone.
Caili's last four years of his life were the janitors of the Liaoning Provincial Sports Academy, and on the day of his death, the family only had 300 yuan, and even the money for his hospitalization was borrowed.
In this way, the wife pulled the child alone, took care of the elderly, and struggled to support the family.
Blessings are incomparable, and misfortunes are not alone.
After Caili left, his wife and daughter were diagnosed with cancer.
In 2017, Caili's daughter sought help from netizens in a desperate situation. She hopes to raise some money through crowdfunding to treat her and her mother's cancer.
At this time, many people learned that the champion who once had unlimited scenery had indirectly died of poverty.
Another female weightlifter, Zou Chunlan, was also deeply trapped in poverty.
Zou Chunlan was born in 1971 in a rural area of Meihekou City, Jilin Province, and has been exposed to rough work since childhood, so she has always had great strength, and when she was in junior high school, she lifted 90 pounds when she first touched barbells.
The teacher felt that she was a good seedling, so he focused on cultivating her.
In 1985, Zou Chunlan participated in the first "Wave Cup" women's weightlifting championship in China, and she won her first championship.
Since then, she has won 9 gold medals in her weightlifting career and has also broken world records.
Although I have achieved supreme achievements, my body has long been overworked by overloaded exercise day after day.
After retiring from the army, because of injuries, it cost a lot of medical expenses, and all kinds of low-level work were done.
Life is still unable to be self-sufficient, so I can only go to the bathhouse as a bather.
A world champion, after retiring, actually needs to give someone a bath to make a living.
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It can be said that there are few Olympic sports that can match the hardships of weightlifting teams.
Under their honor, the slightest carelessness will overdraft their health.
Many people in the sports world know that most of the children of poor families are tied up in weightlifting teams.
This sport does not require money-burning facilities and funds, but it has to endure a lot of unbearable suffering for ordinary people, and families with good conditions will let their children do this work.
In recent days, the news of Chinese Olympic athletes winning gold medals is endless, and China's weightlifting team has become the backbone, but they still do not receive enough attention.
Chen Lijun, this year's weightlifting Olympic champion, recorded a video on Weibo a few days ago, thanking his fans for helping him find endorsements.
Behind the sincere and simple greetings, there is also a bitter story.
Chen Lijun had just entered the sports school, his father suddenly lost his ability to work because of brain cancer, and his mother had to support the family for 40 yuan a day.
The father's medical expenses, the elderly grandmother, the sick brother, and Chen Lijun's living expenses...
These made Chen Lijun's mother the hardest time, and one person had to work 3 jobs. The place where Chen Lijun practiced weightlifting was the boiler room was renovated.
Before the Olympics, his family was still a special hardship household, and his family's house was cracked.
The only big piece in the house was just a two-door refrigerator.
Competitive sports are also a matter of success, and only those who have achieved rankings can get glory and attention.
So in a sense, Chen Lijun is also lucky.
After thousands of trials and tribulations, his efforts were finally rewarded, and his story was seen by the public.
Under his Weibo, many people appealed:
Star salaries and participation in variety shows can earn a lot, I hope that the brand side to see more athletes.
The real problem is that after the heat of the Olympic Games passed, the traffic that belonged to them quickly disappeared...
Yes, how can the efficiency of the traffic brought by the Olympic champions be compared to the stars?
Stars can easily gain tens of millions of fans by releasing a song for up to a month, and acting in a movie for up to a year.
Under the operation of capital, endorsements are received softly, and money rolls in...
So there are so many people, squeezing their heads and wanting to enter the entertainment industry.
On the other hand, athletes, one minute on stage, ten years offstage can not be more appropriate.
They work hard, push their physical limits, and do their best for a medal, and the best result is the hard work they have put in the field to justify their name.
But there is only one champion.
A little bit of luck, all the sweat will be in vain.
Only to leave yourself with an irreversible injury.
Those who do not like competitive sports are clearly aware of the health hazards, and when they see a game, they always associate it with the hardships, pains, and injuries behind it.
Among them, weightlifting is an unpopular sport, and weightlifters are undoubtedly the most bearers.
They have the least endorsement, the lowest birth, the greatest danger after retirement, and they are doing simple and great things.
This is also why many people this year have called online:
"Manufacturers of fitness apps, protein powders, etc., look at the Chinese weightlifting team, they are too bitter, they are worth it."
I just knew how worthy they were, and that's probably what we've been ignoring.
Chinese athletes, it's too hard.
Weightlifters, it's too hard.
But hopefully, starting today, they'll get enough attention and get better.