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1.37 meters, this is many people's first impression of Deng Linlin.
In the world of sports, which is full of long-legged beauties, this height seems to be incompatible with the aura of an "Olympic champion".
However, it is such a seemingly petite body, but it contains huge energy, and has written its own legend in the gymnastics arena.
At the London 2012 Olympic Games women's gymnastics balance beam final, a small girl started her performance in the spotlight.
There is no superfluous movement, every spin and jump is in place, light as a feather, drawing a graceful arc on the balance beam.
As soon as she landed, the audience immediately burst into warm applause.
Deng Linlin is a legend in Chinese gymnastics, not only did she win gold medals at both Olympic Games, but she was also China's shortest Olympic champion at the time.
From the "youngest Olympic champion" to a winner in life, Deng Linlin's transformation is far more exciting than people imagine.
1. The road of gymnastics: sweat and glory are intertwined
In 1991, Deng Linlin was born in an ordinary rural family in Bozhou, Anhui Province.
Although the conditions of the family are average, her parents are very open-minded, love her very much, and do not have any patriarchal ideas.
Deng Linlin's father was very fond of sports when he was young, but for various reasons, he failed to realize his dream.
It may be this regret that makes him especially look forward to the children realizing the dream that he has not been able to fulfill.
Deng Linlin's brother took the lead in entering a sports school to learn gymnastics, and she also developed a strong interest in this sport.
At that time, Deng Linlin's parents were very busy with work, and she often stayed at home by herself.
She often runs to the gymnasium in front of her house to play and pass the time.
Watching the big brothers and sisters tossing and jumping on the equipment, little Deng Linlin also followed the comparison, although the movements were still very immature, but there was a sense of agility.
This scene happened to be seen by the gymnastics coach, who saw at a glance that the little girl had a strange skeleton and was a good seedling for gymnastics, so he encouraged her to sign up for training.
With the encouragement of her father and the drive of her brother, 6-year-old Deng Linlin began to practice gymnastics and officially embarked on this road of hard and happy training.
Gymnastics training is bitter and boring, and little Deng Linlin often thinks about giving up.
Getting up before dawn every day to train, repeating the same movements day after day, physical exhaustion and psychological pressure is undoubtedly a huge test for a child.
Whenever she wants to give up, Deng Linlin will think of her father's expectant eyes, her love for gymnastics, and those athletes who work the field.
She gritted her teeth and practiced over and over again, patting the dust off her body even if she fell, and got back up.
With that spirit of not admitting defeat, Deng Linlin made very rapid progress, and soon surpassed her peers and entered the Anhui provincial team.
In 2003, 11-year-old Deng Linlin was selected for the national team and became the youngest member of the team.
Entering the national team means facing greater challenges and more fierce competition.
In order to maintain the lightness and flexibility of her figure, Deng Linlin had to strictly control her diet, and many snacks and drinks that her peers were accustomed to, she could only "look at plums to quench her thirst".
She has been through intense training and has scars on her body, but she never complains and remains optimistic.
Since I decided to go to a distant place, I moved forward wholeheartedly.
Deng Linlin takes this sentence as her motivation and has always inspired herself to keep moving forward.
After five years of hard work, in 2008, 16-year-old Deng Linlin finally had the opportunity to show herself on the international stage.
Her first international competition was the Qatar stop of the Gymnastics World Cup, which was quite difficult.
In the face of many experienced veterans, Deng Linlin, who participated in the competition for the first time, had no stage fright, and won 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze in one fell swoop with her solid basic skills and stable performance, which shocked the world gymnastics community.
2008 was a special year for Deng Linlin.
After making a name for herself in the World Cup, she was successfully selected for the Chinese women's gymnastics team at the Beijing Olympics and stood on the coveted Olympic stage.
In the women's gymnastics team final, Deng Linlin and her teammates united and cooperated, conquered the judges with a near-perfect performance, and finally won the first Olympic team gold medal in history for the Chinese women's gymnastics team, achieving a breakthrough of "zero" in Chinese gymnastics.
At that moment, the five-star red flag slowly rose, the national anthem sounded, and Deng Linlin, who was standing on the highest podium, couldn't help but shed tears.
These are tears of happiness, tears of excitement, and the results and rewards of years of hard work.
After the Beijing Olympics, Deng Linlin did not stop, she still trained hard and actively prepared for various competitions.
At the 2009 World Gymnastics Championships in Rome, Deng Linlin once again showed her strong strength, winning the women's balance beam championship in one fell swoop, adding another precious gold medal to her career.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Deng Linlin, as the captain of the Chinese women's gymnastics team, stood on the Olympic stage again.
This time, the responsibilities and expectations on her are even greater.
In the balance beam final, in the face of huge pressure, Deng Linlin was calm and calm, and did every move to the extreme, and finally successfully defended the championship with an excellent score of 15.600 points, becoming the first female athlete in the history of Chinese gymnastics to win gold medals in both Olympic Games.
He is 1.37 meters tall, but he hides endless energy and glory.
Deng Linlin, the "youngest Olympic champion", used her strength to prove that height is not a limit, and the power of dreams can overcome everything.
After the London Olympics, Deng Linlin decided to retire and leave the gymnastics arena she loved.
At the age of 20, for many athletes, their careers have just begun, but Deng Linlin knows that gymnastics is a sport that "eats youth", and the perennial high-intensity training has left a lot of injuries on her.
From entering the sports school at the age of 6 to retiring at the age of 20, the 14-year gymnastics career is full of sweat, tears, and ultimate glory.
Deng Linlin dedicated her youth to the cause of Chinese gymnastics, and also handed in a perfect answer sheet for her life.
For Deng Linlin, retirement is not the end, but the beginning of her new life.
She will continue to write her own life legend with the tenacity and spirit of not admitting defeat honed on the field.
2. Transformation journey: from the field to a broader world
Bidding farewell to the hustle and bustle on the field, Deng Linlin ushered in a new stage of her life.
In 2013, she was escorted to the School of International Studies of Peking University to study and became an honorable Peking University person.
From an Olympic champion to an ordinary student, Deng Linlin's identity change did not make her feel uncomfortable. She walked out of the spotlight to the campus, carrying her schoolbag and shuttling through it, everything was natural.
She understands that the career of an athlete is very short, so she must keep learning so that she can better integrate into society and play her value after retirement.
After going to college, Deng Linlin was like a sponge absorbing water, desperately learning new knowledge.
Due to the professional training she received since she was a child, Deng Linlin's cultural course foundation is relatively weak, but she is not discouraged by this, but cherishes this hard-won learning opportunity even more.
She listens to the lectures very seriously, always completes her homework on time, and takes the initiative to ask questions when she doesn't understand, and has a very good learning attitude.
In addition to learning professional knowledge, Deng Linlin also actively participates in various club activities to expand her interests and hobbies and enrich her university life.
She joined the school's dance club, learned various dances, and showed her energy and confidence on the stage.
She also participated in the English Corner to communicate and learn from friends from different countries to improve her English.
During her college years, Deng Linlin also experienced a "metamorphosis" - her height exceeded 1.4 meters, which is 7 centimeters taller than when she was an athlete.
This is undoubtedly a huge surprise for the former "youngest Olympic champion".
After retiring, without high-intensity training and strict dietary control, Deng Linlin's height finally ushered in a "second development".
She also began to learn how to dress up, tried different styles, and transformed from a former "tomboy" to a goddess of temperament.
In the four years of college, Deng Linlin not only gained knowledge, but also gained friendship and growth.
After graduating from Peking University in 2017, she did not rush to find a job, but decided to continue her studies to improve her academic qualifications and abilities.
She was admitted to the graduate school of Beijing Sport University, continued to study sports-related majors, and also obtained an international gymnastics referee certificate, returning to the familiar gymnastics arena in a new capacity.
In 2019, Deng Linlin made another bold decision to study in United States.
This time, she went abroad to see a wider area and learn more advanced technologies and concepts.
In the United States, Deng Linlin studied and worked at the same time, constantly enriching herself.
She used to coach a gymnastics club, passing on her years of training experience to children who love gymnastics.
She also actively participates in various academic exchange activities, discussing new trends in sports development with experts and scholars from all over the world.
While continuing to learn and grow, Deng Linlin also ushered in her own love.
In 2023, Deng Linlin announced her marriage to archer Gu Xuesong on social platforms, and received blessings from netizens and fans.
In the photo, Deng Linlin is wearing a white wedding dress, leaning on the tall Gu Xuesong, smiling very happily.
One is a gymnastics Olympic champion, the other is an archer, the combination of Deng Linlin and Gu Xuesong can be called the "fairy couple" in the sports world.
The two met at a friend's party, admired each other, and slowly came together.
For Deng Linlin, Gu Xuesong is not only her lover, but also gives her a lot of guidance and help in life.
They train together, compete together, cheer each other on, and improve together.
Gu Xuesong also supported Deng Linlin's career very much, encouraging her to pursue her dreams bravely and do what she wanted to do.
Now Deng Linlin, love and career have developed very well, and she is really a big winner in life.
III. Conclusion
From the "smallest Olympic champion" to a talented woman of Peking University, from an international referee to a winner in life, Deng Linlin's transformation is inspirational and admirable.
She proved with practical actions that height is not important, and age is not an obstacle. As long as you have a dream in your heart and work hard to pursue it, you can create infinite possibilities and live a wonderful life.
Deng Linlin's story also inspires more young people to bravely pursue their dreams, run the track of youth, and write their own wonderful chapters.
Information sources:
Guangming.com2024-09-10From the arena to the podium: Olympic champion Deng Linlin's cross-border transformation
Jimu News2023-02-22Deng Linlin joined Anshi University with her boyfriend, where are the 2008 Olympic women's gymnastics champions now?
Live broadcast2024-08-19Known as the "strongest substitute in the Olympics", Deng Linlin recalled the 08 Olympic championship: I am the strongest sixth