Hard Work Pays Off: Ningbo Windsurfer’s Journey From Gold Medalist to Star Coach
Qian Hong (back row, second from right) and his athletes at the Ningbo Sailing Center of China’s 14th National Games (Photo: Qian Hong)
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Sailing and windsurfing competitions (together with beach volleyball) will be held in Ningbo – co-host city of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 – this September. Qian Hong, a native of Ningbo, is a legendary figure in the history of Chinese sailing and windsurfing. In addition to being a gold medalist in men's windsurfing at the 12th Asian Games Hiroshima 1994, Qian ranked twelfth in the same event at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games (also the highest ranking among Asian competitors at the time).
Qian is now one of the star coaches at Ningbo Municipal Aquatics (Swimming) School.
现在,钱红是宁波市水上(游泳)运动学校的“金牌”教练之一。
This star coach was heading the Ningbo Team of Sailing Race and Windsurfing in Hainan when Ningbo Evening News reached him on March 28th. “Our winter training is coming to end and we will return to Ningbo in April,” Qian replied. As sailing and windsurfing are both aquatics and subject to weather conditions, his team travel to coastal provinces in South China – such as Hainan and Fujian – for annual training.
It was 28 years ago when Qian won the gold medal. “It was really hard since we ran into the change of equipment at the 12th Asian Games in 1994,” he recalled.
Qian became the champion of the men’s windsurfing competition at China’s 7th National Games. At that time, his equipment was a round-bottom windsurfing board and the rules clearly stipulated that athletes may not maneuver the sail to propel the board forward. However, at the 12th Asian Games this equipment was replaced by Mistral windsurfing boards.
“There was less than a year left for us to accommodate such changes. We went all out whenever weather permitted, trying to familiarize ourselves with Mistral boards as well as the trick of maneuvering. Furthermore, we discussed skills and shared experiences every single night,” Qian laughed. In his memory of those days, “all the team members really went full steam ahead.”
After refreshing the Asian record at the 1996 Summer Olympics, Qian announced his retirement the following year after struggling with knee injuries. He served as the coach of the Zhejiang provincial team, head coach of the National Youth Windsurfing Team, and the leader of the National 49er Sailboat Teams. Then he was invited to coach in Singapore for two years. In 2006, Qian returned to his hometown Ningbo and dedicated himself to fostering a new generation of sailing and windsurfing athletes. To his excitement, the team of Ningbo bagged a whopping 13 gold, 11 silver and 6 bronze medals in 17 events of sailing and windsurfing competition at the 14th Zhejiang Provincial Games in 2010.
Amongst his Ningbo athletes, Wu Jiahui, Li Tao, Chen Hao, Yan Zheng, Hong Wei, and Zhou Zhibo have been chosen to join the national team and have won medals in the Games of the People’s Republic of China, the Asian Games and other international events.
On behalf of the coaches, Qian delivered a speech at the Commendation Meeting for Ningbo athletes at the Olympic and National Games on November 25, 2021. “It’s my great pleasure to see my athletes making rapid progress in competition and wining two golds, three silvers and one bronze at China’s 17th National Games in Shaanxi. I feel proud of them standing on top of the podium.”
The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou and the 17th Zhejiang Provincial Games will kick off this September and November respectively. “Chen Hao, Yan Zheng, Hong Wei and Zhou Zhibo are Ningbo athletes currently training in the national sailing and windsurfing team. They aim to secure a place and excel in the 19th Asian Games.” Qian further added during the interview that the national team will hold two trials to decide the final list of qualified athletes for the Asian Games this year.
Under the coaching of Qian, Chen Hao and Wang Jianxiong won the windsurfing championship and were runners-up in the 4.7 laser class competition at the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta. This star coach now looks forward to making a greater contribution at the upcoming 19th Asian Games held in his hometown Ningbo.