"We must play the 'strength of the five-star red flag'!" In the archery arena of the Paris Olympics, a Korea wearing a Chinese team uniform attracted the attention of reporters.
On July 28, Kwon Yongxue, the head coach of the Chinese women's archery team from Korea, was on the sidelines. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ming
He is the Korea coach of the Chinese women's archery team, Kwon Rongxue.
Archery is Korea's dominant sport, and in the past few days, the cheers of the Korea audience at the scene have been deafening, and due to the number of Chinese audiences, there are not many cheers for the Chinese team. However, there is always a voice in the stadium cheering for the Chinese team.
"There were few Chinese spectators in the stands, so I wanted to give some encouragement to the players. Even when the men's team played, I shouted from the stands. "This chubby Korean coach speaks fluent Chinese.
As an athlete, Kwon won several national championships in Korea. After retiring as a player, he transitioned to become a coach. In 2006, by chance, he became acquainted with the Jiangsu archery team.
On July 30, Chinese player An Qixuan (left) communicates with coach Quan Rongxue on the sidelines of the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter He Canling
"At that time, I would go to Jiangsu every summer to coach the local players, and the team recognized my method because the team's performance had improved." However, Kwon Rongxue did not expect that his coaching experience in China would last so long.
The Beijing Olympics and the London Olympics all have the right to allow Chinese players to be brought by the school to enter the national team training list. During this period, he coached in Xinjiang, Shanghai and other places.
The progress of the team members has given Kwon Rongxue confidence. "I thought my method should be okay, so I stayed in China." Quan Rongxue recalled that in 2013, he also led the Shanghai men's team to win the National Games.
In order to achieve better training results, Quan Rongxue taught Chinese on his own and rarely returned home for many years. In the summer of 2022, Quan Rongxue became the coach of the Chinese women's archery team and led the team to sprint for the Paris Olympics.
"In the first two Olympic cycles, the women's team did not win a medal, but after Coach Kwon came, the team still changed a lot." Yang Xiaolei, a member of the Chinese women's archery team, said.
On August 1, coach Quan Rongxue (left) sorted out equipment for Li Jiaman. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hou Zhaokang
In archery, mindset is crucial. In order to exercise the psychological quality of the players, Quan Rongxue built a three-meter-high archery training point in the training base, hoping to help the players improve their stability in this way.
According to several female team members, the high platform is already at a certain distance from the ground, and when the wind blows, it will shake, and in this case, archery is very stable.
In addition, in Kwon Yongxue's view, facing problems head-on and not avoiding them is the key when facing strong teams.
Archery has always been Korea's traditional strength, and before this Olympics, the Chinese women's team lost to Korea in the gold medal match of four Olympic Games. Before the Paris Olympics, the International Archery Federation launched a survey to predict who would win the championship, and 97% of voters voted for Korea.
Before the game, Kwon Yong-hak told the team about the prediction. "Coach Kwon let us know that we are not favored, but the key is to have no distractions and give our best." Team member An Qixuan said.
It was in such an unfavorable situation that the Chinese archery team withstood the pressure and finally defeated the Korea team to win the Shanghai championship. Such a victory inspires confidence in the players.
On July 28, Chinese team players An Qixuan (first from left), Yang Xiaolei (second from left), Li Jiaman (first from right) and Quan Rongxue (second from right), the Korea head coach of the Chinese women's archery team, celebrate their promotion after the semifinals. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ming
"We have faced Korea in the final several times before and basically lost, but winning in Shanghai is a very meaningful thing for us." The doctrine of tolerance.
In the gold medal match against Korea in Paris, Kwon Yongxue listened to the cheers for the Korea team and cheered for the Chinese players despite the referee's warning. In the end, when he regretted the defeat, he said emotionally with tears in his eyes: "We will not give up, and we must work hard to bring out the 'strength of the five-star red flag' in the next session." ”
"Although we only won the silver medal this time, we have improved a lot compared to previous editions, which makes us even more convinced that we are on the right path. Thank you very much Coach Kwon, next time we will be better. Team member Li Jiaman said.
In China for many years, Quan Rongxue has long regarded China as his second home. "In fact, I coach in Korea, it is impossible to lead the team to play in the Olympic Games, I am still very grateful for this opportunity, and I hope that one day, the Chinese team can knock on the door of the Korea team in the Olympic arena." The doctrine of tolerance.
Source | Xinhua News Agency