The Tokyo Olympics, which kicks off on July 23, is the largest of its kind in which the Chinese team has participated overseas. In that team, seven athletes from Ningbo, Shi Zhiyong, Li Ling, Wang Shun, Yu Yiting, Yang Qian, Zhang Xingjia, and Guan Chenchen, are ready to achieve even better results. Among them, three have had Olympics experiences, while the rest are first time participants. This is also a new record number of Ningbo Olympians.
Seizing the Golden
Opportunity
In 2018, Shi Zhiyong, the weightlifter from Ningbo won the gold medal in the men's 69kg weightlifting final at the Rio Olympics. This is also the first gold medal for Ningbo.
Five years later, Shi attends the Games again, trying to set his new record. As departure approaches, his team members are taking measures to lift his mind and body to the best condition. "He has a very tight schedule, for example, he finishes treatment and relaxation at 10PM everyday," said his coach, Tang Deshang.
Adding to the team's efforts, Shi also has his own way to reduce pressure: making himself stronger. He said that the postponement of the Games makes everyone stressed, yet the pressure also motivates him. He believes that the only way to avoid pressure is to be strong enough.
"I will try my best to win another gold medal so that the national flag will be raised and national anthem played on the field, earning honour for China and Ningbo," said Shi.
In history, there are two athletes of the Chinese weightlifting team, Zhan Xugang, male, and Chen Yanqing, female, won gold medals in two consecutive Olympic Games. Now Shi Zhiyong is also fighting to be the third.
The Courage to
Exceed Limitations
In the history of Chinese sports, there are only a few athletes who have participated in four Olympic Games. Li Ling, a pole vaulter from Ningbo, is one of them. She also holds the event's Asian record.
"This is very special for me. The most important thing is to control injury, maintain physical condition, and then try to rewrite the personal best in the competition," said Li.
The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics for one year is a test for all the athletes preparing for the Games. Li is no exception. Her age has increased by one year, and many changes have taken place for her competitive state. However, she is optimistic because of her competition experience.
"In the past year, there were fewer games. It is harder to keep yourself in the zone and you really need to show the highest level in key games. But we also get more time to adjust," said Li.
Together with experienced athletes such as Li Ling, Yu Yiting, one of the first timers, will also participate in the Games. She was born in September 2005, trained in Zhenhai Swimming Centre since childhood, and later transferred to Ningbo Swimming Centre, Zhejiang Swimming Team, and eventually, the national team.
As an emerging swimming star, she participated in the world swimming championships in Gwangju, South Korea. At the Olympic trials in May this year, she also got good results.
Supporting Athletes with
Professional Standards
In Ningbo, not only are the athletes actively preparing for the Games, but also many sports staff working hard to support them.
Li Wenlian, the owner of a badminton shop in Cixi is going to start her first Olympic stringing service and she is the only Chinese stringer at the Tokyo Olympics. In fact, she is also a world-class racquet stringer. In her work, making the strings fit the racquet to allow the players to find the best feelings, is the most challenging part.
Every time before stringing, Li Wenlian will carefully check and adjust the racquet. "It usually takes me 15 to 20 minutes to finish stringing. However, if the racquet is deformed, it may take longer. This requires constant practice to get more experience," said Li Wenlian.
Not long ago, Lang Ping, the coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team expressed her gratitude to the staff at the Beilun Training Base. Lang appreciated the "first-class" logistics at the Base as she recalled her training days at Ningbo.
"Ningbo Beilun has been a great convenience for us to prepare for the Olympics. Staff here made a lot of contributions, and we are really thankful," said Lang Ping.
放大
缩小
默认
