At the Paris Olympics, Xiao Ruoteng, a gymnastics veteran from Beijing, won one silver and one bronze. After the men's team regretted missing the gold medal, Xiao Ruoteng's tears on the field were moving. On August 2, Xiao Ruoteng was interviewed by a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily in Paris, and he revealed that he was almost "out" of the Olympic Games because of an aggravated shoulder injury. At the same time, he also said that this is his last Olympics. Looking back on his gymnastics career, Xiao Ruoteng said: "I think the performance is already very good, but it must be a pity that I didn't win the Olympic gold medal. ”
Beijing Youth Daily (hereinafter referred to as Beijing Youth Daily): It's been a few days since the men's team final, are you feeling a little better now?
Xiao Ruoteng: I've always hoped to resist the disappearance of emotions through reason, and now it's better, but this result will definitely not be completely digested for a while. It's still a little sad to think about this result, but at the same time, reason tells me not to let it affect my life.
Beijing Youth Daily: What are the goals you set for yourself before the game?
Xiao Ruoteng: My own goal is to complete the mission and tasks, and the goal of our team is to win the team gold medal, and we also have such strength.
Beijing Youth Daily: When was the most difficult moment in the past three years of preparation?
Xiao Ruoteng: I think it was the moment before I left for France. I was in a very bad mood that day because my shoulder injury had worsened during the team test a week before departure, and it was no longer a pain problem. Pain has not been a big deal for me over the years, and it hurts, but I couldn't even raise my hands to eye level in this test. I didn't even know if I was up to the Olympics. Although it was also closed, it was too close to the Olympics, and the injury reaction was very large, and the physical reaction at the time told me that it might be a "death sentence". But fortunately, the expert told me that there was no problem with my shoulder structure, but it was inflammation, edema, and the shoulder would not break, but it was painful, so I chose to be treated with occlusion. After arriving at the Olympic Village in Paris, I could only train on the parallel bars for half a set, and I couldn't practice the rings at all. And I started taking painkillers continuously before I arrived in France.
The team was worried that my situation would affect the team's performance, so it was not recommended that I compete in the rings in the preliminaries, but I really wanted to compete in the all-around, so I lowered the difficulty in the rings. With the rings, I was able to reach the all-around final.
Beiqing Daily: In the last event of the group, there were still some mistakes in the horizontal bar, what was the reason at that time?
Xiao Ruoteng: The mistake in the horizontal bar is mainly due to the fact that I have paid too much physical energy before, and the horizontal bar has also been a little excessive, the shoulder is a little cramped, and there is a mistake in the landing. But such imperfection is still within the range of what I can accept, but I didn't expect the dramatic ending reversal later.
Beijing Youth Daily: Is this men's team defeat the most regrettable in your sports career?
Xiao Ruoteng: At the Tokyo Olympics, we were already very sorry for the team results, and even more regretful for the individual all-around. Of course, I had my own reasons, but as far as gymnastics is concerned, my performance was good enough to win the gold medal. I am very sorry for the final result. But this time, the gold medal was already in his pocket and was taken out again, so the discomfort was indescribable.
Beijing Youth Daily: How much do you rate your performance at the Paris Olympics?
Xiao Ruoteng: 9 points! I'm constantly breaking through myself, always facing challenges and difficulties, and then I'm constantly correcting myself and finding ways to overcome all kinds of difficulties.
Beijing Youth Daily: After the team competition, you thanked a lot of people, including coaches, leaders, family members and Zou Jingyuan, why did you thank him alone?
Xiao Ruoteng: Zou Jingyuan gave me a lot of encouragement a few times, such as the shoulder problem before the Olympics, when I was faced with the situation of whether to be out of the competition, Zou Jingyuan felt that I could do it, as long as I could practice, I could do it. This kind of encouragement meant a lot to me under the circumstances.
BQP: Many people say that the Paris Olympics will be your last Olympics, is that true?
Xiao Ruoteng: I didn't think so in my heart, I wanted to wait for two or three young athletes to come up and say that Xiao Ruoteng should not occupy this position anymore, and I would leave. I also used to think that as long as I practiced well and maintained well, I could try to make it to Los Angeles. But this team defeat made me really feel like this was my last Olympics, and I felt the same way in the all-around competition, and I gave it my all.
Beijing Youth Daily: The countdown to your career as an athlete?
Xiao Ruoteng: Actually, there has been a countdown, but there is no countdown. As long as I like it, I can keep practicing. I can't do competitive gymnastics, I can switch to happy gymnastics, so I'm far, far away from retiring.
Beijing Youth Daily: How do you evaluate your gymnastics career?
Xiao Ruoteng: I think it's very successful, I have won a lot of opponents, I have won a lot of competitions, almost all of the competitions I have participated in have won gold medals, and I have won championships since I was a child. However, there is no Olympic gold medal, which is bound to be a great pity. But in competitive sports, there is no shortage of tragic heroes, and in the process of chasing my dreams, I also shine a huge light.
Text/Beiqing Sports Paris Special Reporter Song Xiang