Since the 2000 Sydney Olympics was listed as an official event, the trampoline event has produced a total of 36 medals, of which the Chinese trampoline team has won 14, including 4 gold medals, including 1 gold medal contributed by Zhu Xueying in the women's trampoline event at the Tokyo Olympics. But Zhu Xueying's wish to become the second reigning trampoline champion in history at the Paris Olympics did not come true, and on the evening of August 2, Zhu Xueying only finished fourth in the final with a score of 55.510, and she cried on the sidelines before the game was over.
Born in Shijingshan, Beijing in 1998, Zhu Xueying initially practiced gymnastics, and spent a total of six years before and after. Zhu Xueying's gymnastics practice is actually good, and she has also won the all-around championship in children's gymnastics competitions. Just when people thought that Zhu Xueying's gymnastics road would get better and better, an unexpected injury hazard brought Zhu Xueying's gymnastics career to an abrupt end.
Because the hip fossa is found to be shallow, there may be a risk of injury if you continue to engage in gymnastics. Therefore, the coaching staff of the Beijing gymnastics team at that time persuaded Zhu Xueying not to engage in gymnastics anymore out of consideration for the safety of athletes.
But when God closes a door for you, it will open a window for you at the same time. At that time, the coach sent Zhu Xueying to the Tianjin trampoline team through the circle relationship. At that time, everyone thought that if there was another project, maybe Zhu Xueying's development would be better.
This was the beginning of Zhu Xueying's trampoline project. Switching projects, for Zhu Xueying, is both regretful and unwilling, "I also want to see how far I can go on the road of sports." She told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily.
In trampoline, many high-level athletes are transferred from gymnastics. It is precisely with the good basic skills of practicing gymnastics in childhood that they have made rapid progress after changing to trampoline. And Zhu Xueying is exactly like this.
"When I was a kid doing gymnastics, I had the idea of joining the national team." Zhu Xueying recalled: "When I practiced trampoline, I heard and saw the results of some big brothers and sisters, who could do two or three weeks of movements, and I thought at the time, I must be as good as them!" She still remembers that in 2010, she wrote on her QQ space: "I want to be a world champion!" ”
In 2013, Zhu Xueying entered the national trampoline team, and later she transferred to Coach Cai Guangliang's group, which was an important turning point in her performance by leaps and bounds. Zhu Xueying's physical ability, technical movements, and aerial posture are all suitable for Cai Guangliang's teaching.
Cai Guangliang is the meritorious coach of the Chinese trampoline team, and he has brought out many world and Olympic champions. Dong Dong, the former "first man" of men's trampoline, followed Cai Guangliang to prepare for four Olympic cycles. Dong Dong chose to retire after winning a silver medal at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and later joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach for the women's trampoline.
Dong Dong told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily: "In my impression, Director Cai has three particularly distinctive coaching characteristics, first, he pays attention to the basic skills of athletes, just like building a building, if the basic skills are not good, it will not be stable in the future; Second, he is very cautious in training, and has always been careful to avoid major injuries and illnesses of athletes, so the players he leads rarely have major injuries; Third, he trains and teaches students according to their aptitude, and his training concepts and methods are particularly suitable for Zhu Xueying. ”
In fact, although Zhu Xueying's physical appearance and conditions are suitable for practicing trampoline, her physique is not good. In her own words, "If any of the team members got sick, I would definitely get it." ”
However, since training with Cai Guangliang, Zhu Xueying's performance has improved significantly. Liu Yi, the leader of the Tianjin trampoline team, once said in an interview, "In the second half of 2016, Zhu Xueying trained with Director Cai for more than two months, and she went to compete in the World Cup and won the first World Cup championship. In the past, Xue Ying's level was the top six in China. ”
But Zhu's trampoline journey was not all smooth sailing, and she encountered a major setback in the test match before the 2018 Asian Games. At that time, Zhu Xueying made a serious mistake in the final match of the Test Match, which disqualified her from the competition. "I remember that the team test match was played at the Beijing Sport University training hall, and I did very well in the first nine movements, but there was a serious displacement in the last one. When I came down, I ran to the locker room and cried for a long time. It wasn't until after the game, when everyone went to the summary meeting, that I stopped crying, and I felt very sorry in my heart. Zhu Xueying recalled to a reporter from Beiqing Daily.
After missing out on the Asian Games in Jakarta, Zhu Xueying made another big mistake at the 2019 World Championships, which brought her trampoline career to a low point.
"During that time, my mom asked me if I should give up sports or continue? I later thought that after so many years of training, including my gymnastics practice, my results were okay, so I decided to fight again. Zhu Xueying said.
Since then, the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed for a year due to the epidemic, which has given Zhu Xueying more time to prepare and improve. But at the same time, she has also put a lot of effort into it. Once Zhu Xueying said to a reporter from Beiqing Daily: "I remember very well that there were many training sessions at that time, I practiced special projects and then practiced physical fitness, and I insisted on practicing while crying. I've always said to myself that if I give up now and miss out on the Olympic title, I'll definitely blame myself later. ”
The hard work paid off, and Zhu Xueying finally stood on the highest podium at the Tokyo Olympics and realized her wish.
Entering the Paris Olympic cycle, Zhu Xueying, who is getting older, clearly feels the reaction and changes in her body. "The most obvious aspect is that it will take longer for the body to recover than it used to." She said. But at the same time, Zhu Xueying also became more and more aware of her physical condition, and then gradually adjusted her training.
Zhu Xueying, Dong Dong
"Zhu Xueying is not the athlete who has practiced the most in the team, which is directly related to her physique. But Zhu Xueying practiced movements, especially attentive and brainy. She may only be able to practice five of the ten movements practiced by others, but she practices these five movements with the championship standard, and this is where she excels. Dong Dong told a reporter from Beiqing Daily.
More importantly, Zhu Xueying's mentality has become more mature. "This Olympic cycle, Zhu Xueying is the reigning Olympic champion, and when you have a title like this, there is naturally pressure. But we always say that every high-level athlete goes through this process, and they all say that it is not cold in high places, but she needs to withstand this cold in this position. Dong Dong said, "I think Zhu Xueying has improved a lot psychologically and become more mature." ”
Zhu Xueying once revealed to a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily that she hopes to achieve the gold medal slam of the Olympic Games, Asian Games, World Championships, and National Games in the fastest time. Now, the goal of winning the last two events is not yet complete, so she will definitely continue to pursue her dream.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily Paris Special Reporter Song Xiang
Editor/Wang Fan