Under the rudimentary training conditions, she has achieved unprecedented results, and has never been seen before, and she has also endured unimaginable pressure
Text: Hu Miao
Editor|Yu Le
During the Beijing Winter Olympics, Chen Lu passed by the Capital Gymnasium as a commentator on figure skating. Rows of bright headlights illuminated the entire venue, and also pulled her mind back to a long, long time ago.
It is home to China's first artificial indoor ice rink, and she remembers how she felt when she first stood here as a young child. This little girl, who was born in Changchun City, Jilin Province, knew for the first time that the ice surface was not just the frozen river surface in the northeast, which could be so smooth and clean without the resistance of the wind. With a slight kick of his foot, it was as if he had flown out.
It was also in the first body that Chen Lu won many honors in her career and experienced the lowest point in her life.
In 1992, Chen Lu made her debut on the professional figure skating arena and won the third place in the women's singles at the World Figure Skating Championships. It was the first time a Chinese athlete had won an international figure skating competition, and Chen Lu was only 15 years old that year.
In the six years that followed, Chen Lu competed in two Olympic Games, winning bronze medals and winning gold at the 1995 World Figure Skating Championships. In the women's singles event, Chen Lu is still China's only world champion and Olympic medalist. The results of the other competitors are far from her.
In that era when the whole people were eager for Olympic gold medals, Chen Lu was pressed with the expectations of the whole country, and her every move attracted much attention. At that time, it was difficult for public opinion to tolerate "out of line", she wanted to pursue better results, changed the coach, and was labeled as "hard wings"; Her grades were slightly poor, and many analysts thought that her ability was not good, and they swarmed with cynicism.
The year before the 1998 Winter Olympics, the 20-year-old Chen Lu's performance plummeted, finishing 25th at the World Championships and failing to qualify for the Olympics directly. She fell into a severe depression, and at one point, Chen Lu would shed tears when she heard the word "competition". For many years after retiring, when she entered the courtyard of the first body and looked at the former dormitory and training ground, she still felt a little out of breath.
Time has passed, and the first body has become the venue of the Winter Olympics, and she is standing in front of it again.
The original garage has been turned into an athletes' dormitory, and the environment is completely different. The venue is still the same venue, and under the bright lights, it reflects a different kind of liveliness. It was also in this venue that the footage of Japanese athlete Hanyu Yuzuru kissing the ice became a classic in the history of figure skating.
Today, figure skating has become the most concerned sport by Chinese at the Winter Olympics. Commercial indoor ice rinks have sprung up one after another, and people have gone from being afraid of the sharpness of skates to gradually accepting and willing to send their children to learn figure skating. Commercial figure skating clubs have also been established, joining the athlete training system and providing talent for the national team......
People are still concerned about the gold medal, but they are more concerned about the people behind the gold medal and the Olympic spirit. Every athlete who has made achievements is remembered. In the private sector, more and more people are also using a marathon to win a badge for their lives, which is not a further inheritance of the Olympic spirit by the public.
Chen Lu sometimes wonders what her grades would have been like if they were now. Just think about it, the experience of the last era has long been an indelible mark on her life.
Crossing the river by feeling the stones
In Jilin Province, ice ballast begins to appear on the river in November every year, and it enters a freezing period until April of the following year. Like most children in Northeast China, Chen Lu's favorite sport in winter is ice skating and playing various ice sports.
She was born into a sports family, her father Chen Xiqin was a former ice hockey player, and her mother Cui Yan was a table tennis player. Since childhood, she has grown up in a sports compound.
As a child, there was a black and white TV at home with only two channels. Once, the second central channel showed a documentary about American female figure skater Peggy Fleming, who danced, jumped, and spun on the ice, which immediately attracted Chen Lu and made Chen Lu want to learn figure skating.
In the 80s of the last century, the domestic perception of figure skating was still blank, there were no top coaches, no teaching materials, let alone a professional training system. Whether it is Chen Lu's parents or the Jilin Provincial Sports School that Chen Lu went to later, they can only cross the river by feeling the stones in this project.
There were no indoor ice rinks at that time. In the cold northeast, Chen Lu often went skating in the middle of the night, more than minus 40 degrees, freezing all the exposed skin painfully. The ice is very dirty, and you can't slide without pushing hard; If the wind is strong, the downwind will slide fast, and the upwind will slide slowly. They can only skate for half a year a year, and the other half of the time without ice, they train their physical fitness in the track and field, running and jumping, and their physical fitness is "leveraged", and they also named themselves "amateur track and field team".
Not only physical fitness, figure skating is also a sport that combines dance and music, but also various training such as flexibility, dance lessons, and aesthetic appreciation are essential. Chen Lu's time is full every day, taking two particularly intense technical classes a day, plus an hour of physical training.
When they were in the provincial team, the team also invited a music teacher, mainly to teach them music appreciation and take them to do some training. Play a piece of classical music, tell who the author is, what kind of background the music was created, and then ask the children to make up their own story based on the music.
Chen Lu used the soundtrack of the movie "The Last Emperor" at the 1992 World Championships, and the scene she made up for herself was that of a little palace maid in the court, wearing old clothes, carefully walking forward row by row.
It is also necessary to leave enough time for treatment every day to relax the joints and muscles that have been tired for a long day. There are no big injuries, but small ones keep coming. Because of the perennial action of "ice pointing", Chen Lu has a fatigue bone crack in his right foot, but he can't stop training. When I went to the hospital for treatment, the doctor prescribed the plan: "Just stick to it and get used to the pain." "The human body is very tolerant, and slowly, she really adapts to the pain.
At that time, what was lacking was not only a professional training system, but also the most basic skating equipment. Chen Lu was already able to complete two triple jumps before she got her first pair of skates imported from abroad. Its steel skates are stiffer, denser, and have a better slippery texture. Chen Lu was so excited that she even had to cuddle in the bed when she slept.
At that time, the training intensity was high, and if you didn't sharpen your knife one day, you would be dull, and you wouldn't be able to slip the next day. Chen Lu's family was reluctant to use an electric knife sharpener to sharpen, so his father grinded manually every day, and it took three hours to sharpen the knife every day.
Even the costumes are missing. The first time she participated in an international competition, she performed two shows and wore two suits with raw edges. Some netizens picked up this video of hers and commented, "When Teacher Chen was young, he used to like clothes with hair. ”
Chen Lu couldn't cry or laugh, "I hate that hair to death." ”
Actually, she didn't have a costume at that time. Japan sponsored a batch of costumes for the national team, and she could only choose from that batch of clothes before the performance, and she could choose which size she could wear, and in the end only these two sets were selected.
This dress made Chen Lu very uncomfortable, and when she raised her hand, the hair either drilled into her nose or stuck to her mouth. The sequins on the clothes kept falling off the slag. "In the lounge, in the corridor or something, I'm embarrassed to walk in the middle, and as soon as I go, I will go straight."
It was in this international arena that Chen Lu came into contact with legendary athletes who could only be seen in video in the past, and even competed with them. You must know that many people here can be regarded as half of her teachers - when there is a lack of teaching materials, Chen Lu just watches their videos, decomposes, imitates and practices one action at a time.
Legendary German figure skater Katerina Werther was an Olympic champion in 1984 and 1988 and a childhood student for Chen. She still remembers when Werther won the gold medal in 1988, and she and her friends competed to imitate Werther when he won the gold medal. Between the giggles, Chen Lu seemed to see herself standing on the podium in the future.
Chen Lu seemed to open a door, saw the appearance of the gold medal through the crack in the door, and had a strong desire. She said, "No one can stop me from going anywhere except for my life." ”
A one-man battle
At that time, figure skating was not a popular sport in China, and not many people knew about it. Before Chen Lu, no one had achieved good results in international competitions, so the attention was not high.
In 1992, Chen Lu made her debut at the Winter Olympics and finished sixth. This has already set the best record for China in the project, but it has not caused much splash at home.
An official of the Chinese Olympic Committee found her in the evening and praised her excitedly. Chen Lu later learned that it was officials from other national Olympic committees who congratulated him, and he knew that figure skating had such a great influence in the world.
Chen Lu's results have attracted more attention internationally, and they are shocked that China can train such a level of skaters at a relatively "reckless" stage, and many media outlets are rushing to report on it.
"In my career, I am more well-known abroad than at home." Chen Lu said helplessly.
Many times, Chen Lu is lonely. Since 1992, when there are no competitions, Chen Lu has been training abroad most of the time, and when there are competitions, she returns to the national team in Beijing.
At that time, there was only one person in the entire figure skating national team, Chen Lu had no teammates, and often walked with the referee, and the two of them formed a team. The referee went to get busy, and the teenage girl stood alone on the field, looking at the big teams of other countries, with indescribable envy in her eyes.
At this time, Chen Lu would first look for the national flag, and then stand under the national flag, "When I see the national flag, I feel that I am confident." She said.
Chen Lu often uses music full of oriental charm in competitions. At the 1998 Winter Olympics, Chen Lu used "Liang Zhu" to interpret the beautiful "Breaking the Cocoon into a Butterfly", which aroused applause from the audience.
This is the first time that Chinese music has been played in the international figure skating arena. Since then, tracks such as "A Cut of Plums" and "Jiu'er" have successively appeared on the stage of figure skating, becoming a unique touch of oriental color on this stage.
On the field, the world got to know Chen Lu, and Chen Lu also got to know the world. The arena is a classroom for learning, and everyone does not need to communicate with each other, just an action, and you can see what many people are fighting for.
Artistically, figure skating tests an athlete's understanding of a piece of music and the emotions and stories that can be conveyed through dance. The growth background and culture of athletes in each country are different, which also makes each country have its own advantages, and there are also gaps that are difficult to cross.
For example, European and American players are relaxed in their interpretation of jazz, while Russian players are always able to master magnificent symphonies, while Asian players are more restrained and can perform more delicate content. Chen Lu believes that after so many years of experience, few Asian players can perform jazz well.
The weight of the gold medal
After performing "Liang Zhu", Chen Lu knelt on the ice to hide her face and cry, and after a short period of emotional control, she stood up and thanked the audience.
This is her farewell fight, and after this Winter Olympics, the 21-year-old Chen Lu chose to retire. At this time, although her physical condition can continue, it is also the year of fighting, "I can't hold on mentally anymore." Chen Lu said.
In her career, Chen Lu is getting closer to the gold medal step by step. After finishing third at the World Championships in 1992, she went on to win the World Championships in 1995. At the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics, she won bronze medals.
On February 13, 1994, in Lillehammer, Norway, Chen Lu won China's first figure skating medal at the 17th Winter Olympics in the women's singles final of figure skating. Photo/Visual China
Although this is an unprecedented achievement, and there is no achievement to this day, for the public, what everyone desires is always the gold medal. At that time, China had won dozens of gold medals in the Summer Olympics, but the Winter Olympics gold medal still failed to achieve a "zero breakthrough". As a world-class athlete and a leading figure skating event at the time, Chen Lu was under tremendous pressure to win medals. Her words and deeds and deeds are being noticed.
A year before competing in the 1998 Olympics, Chen Lu entered the lowest period of her career.
At that time, because of the change of coach, she was nailed as "ungrateful" by public opinion. Chen Lu also felt aggrieved, as an athlete, she wanted to pursue better results. But at the time, public opinion was not tolerant of athletes.
Whether it is the discussion of the outside world or the pressure of the game, Chen Lu's state is very poor. At the World Championships the year before the Olympics, she finished 25th. Figure skating is judged by a selection system in which the top 24 finishers go straight to the Olympics. This result is a huge blow to Chen Lu, and the confidence accumulated in the past events has been completely shattered.
The public opinion of the outside world is not polite, and Chen Lu still remembers that many media analyzed that she could not return to the arena at that time.
is also in the first body, she shuttles between the dormitory and the training ground every day. The environment here once made her feel very oppressive. In the process of resuming training, Chen Lu was in a state of loss of control, very anxious every day, not allowing herself to make mistakes, often the last class was fine, and the next class was emotionally collapsed.
When she participated in the qualifying tournament, Chen Lu's new coach Liu Hongyun accompanied her, often chatting with her from all over the world, hoping to distract her. But maybe with a word, her emotions collapsed again. As soon as I heard the word "competition", I couldn't help but shed tears.
Chen Lu knew very well that her body and ability were fine, and she had been comforting herself to do her best. But it is difficult to re-glue broken self-confidence.
While I am under tremendous psychological pressure, my body is also suffering a huge test because of weight control. I am often so hungry that my chest is pressed against my back, and I can't lie flat when I sleep, and I feel like my stomach is sticking to my back when I lie down. I was so hungry that I drank saliva to prop up my stomach.
At that time, Chen Lu had only one goal, to insist on finishing the 1998 Winter Olympics, no matter what kind of results he obtained.
At that Winter Olympics, Chen Lu once again proved herself with a bronze medal, and then chose to retire. She began traveling around the world competing in exhibition matches. In the Olympic arena, in order to achieve a high score, every move is tightly choreographed and there is no room for error. On the stage of the exhibition competition, you can freely play what you want to express.
It took her two years to recover from her physical and mental exhaustion and adjust to a normal state.
There is no athlete who does not desire an Olympic gold medal, and the pressure Chen Lu was under at that time was not only given by the outside world, but also by himself. In those days, she had seen the gold medal look like, and that road was there, so she spared no effort to rush in that direction. But now she also thinks that if she had been born in this era, she would not have chosen figure skating.
She self-denied the idea, because she loved it, she should still choose the same path. It's just that outside of the medals, she may have another understanding.
With the development of the economy, the enthusiasm of all walks of life for the gold medal has gradually returned to normal. People are starting to care about the people behind the gold medals, and the meaning of sports. For example, with the appearance of Su Bingtian, the public is not only concerned about the medals, but also how the veteran will challenge himself and challenge the limits of age and physical fitness. Chen Lu believes that this is a change that took place after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The educational significance of physical education is also highlighted, and it is an assessment standard for children's comprehensive literacy. Many families want their children to have a special talent in a particular sport and grow from competition. The emergence of a new generation of athletes such as Su Yiming and Gu Ailing shows that the Olympic Games have a benchmark educational significance for the public.
Chen Lu has two children, one likes to play music and the other is playing volleyball. She asks her children to do their best in whatever they do, just as her parents do for her. And how far it can be done, whether it can win the award or not, is already a secondary matter.
Make up for regrets
After retiring, Chen Lu also has regrets, the biggest regret is the "loneliness" of being unaccompanied in the past.
In 2002, Chen Lu, who had been living in the United States, received an invitation from a real estate company to run an ice rink project.
The loneliness of her career has moved Chen Lu's heart, and she hopes that China can have more indoor ice rinks to attract more people to join the sport. In 2004, Chen Lu sold her house and car in the United States and returned to Shenzhen.
At that time, in the Shenzhen market, there were also people who made commercial ice rinks, but failed. There is a lot of uncertainty behind this business, and no one knows what it will look like.
Chen Lu still remembers that when the ice rink was first opened, many citizens had never even seen ice and snow. People will come to touch the ice to see if it is real ice, but parents are afraid to let their children slide for fear of injury to their children by sharp skates. Chen Lu led the team and needed to explain to everyone.
After the operation, in order to attract more people, she also held many competitions, various events, choreographed performances, and so on. In the early days, the coach, who has appeared on numerous international stages, would also stand on the ice rink and perform for the audience.
In this way, at first, only older teenagers and teenagers came to learn, and later, under the continuous popularization of science by Chen Lu's team, many parents dispelled their concerns about skates, and many children aged four to six joined in, which is also the most suitable age for children to contact figure skating.
The number of ice and snow sports venues in the country is also gradually increasing. According to the General Administration of Sport of China, by the end of 2020, there were 1,888 national ice and snow sports venues, an increase of 368 from 2019. Although it is still far from the level of popularization, it has made a big breakthrough compared to 20 years ago.
But what's even more gratifying is the public's love for figure skating.
On April 24, 2007, at the Beijing International Trade Center Ice Rink, Chen Lu instructed the children to skate on the spot. Photo/Visual China
The emergence of sports superstars in a sports project will arouse the attention of the whole society, and to a certain extent, it will also affect the development of the sport, such as Yao Ming's drive for the Chinese men's basketball team, Liu Xiangzhi for track and field, and Ding Junhui for snooker. In recent years, the emergence of athletes such as Hanyu has also drawn attention to figure skating throughout East Asia.
During the Beijing Winter Olympics, the "2022 Ice and Snow Sports Data Report" released by Douyin showed that figure skating became the favorite ice and snow sport of Douyin netizens. More and more young people are willing to learn figure skating, which will inevitably expand the Chinese figure skating team.
Chen Lu has now started her own ice rink and founded a club. She will also take students, and after discovering excellent seedlings, she will pay attention to cultivating them to see if they have the potential to ascend to a bigger stage.
Sometimes she is anxious, and more than 20 years after her, there has not been a single figure skater in China who has surpassed her then.
But developing world-class athletes is never something that can be rushed. Fortunately, we have set sail.