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Text/Cha Cha
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preface
A girl from a poor background but with a strong will, she overcame obstacles all the way and finally became a legend in the diving world, this is Zhou Jihong's life story.
Zhou Jihong was born on January 11, 1965 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, from a very poor family, and his parents were ordinary workers. She has been a sporty person since she was a child, and at the age of 13, she was discovered to have outstanding athletic talent, so she was selected to join the Hubei Provincial Diving Team to start her diving career.
Despite coming from a humble background, Zhou Jihong has never been discouraged, but has studied hard in diving and has achieved great results repeatedly. In 1981, she won the championship of the National Diving Championships that year and became a rising star in China.
First gold in Los Angeles
In 1984, 19-year-old Zhou Jihong represented China in the Los Angeles Olympics, due to the injury of the main athlete, she came on as a substitute to replace the game, and finally won the first Olympic gold medal for the Chinese sports delegation in the women's 3-meter platform event, writing a milestone in the Chinese diving world. This gold medal not only witnessed Zhou Jihong's top strength when she was young, but also indicated that she would become the founder of Chinese diving in the future.
Despite his brilliant achievements at a young age, Zhou Jihong eventually suffered from injuries and was unable to continue in diving. In 1994, she retired and transferred to Beijing Sport University, but her love and dedication to diving have never been extinguished.
After a period of low period for the Chinese diving team, in 1998, the leaders of the sports department at the helm wanted to rebuild the once glorious national team, so they invited Zhou Jihong to return to the diving world to coach, and finally entrusted her with the important task of leading the national diving team to re-compete.
Zhou Jihong, who was back at the helm, adopted an iron-fisted style and was very strict in training and management, which caused dissatisfaction among some team members and parents. For example, she mercilessly fired the sports star Tian Liang at the time, because the latter violated the discipline of the national team, which also made her slammed by fans.
But at her insistence, the Chinese diving team's record is indeed getting better and better. After more than a year of Lydon and adjustment, in 1999, the national diving team under Zhou Jihong showed great strength at the World Swimming Championships, winning 9 gold medals and 1 silver medal in one fell swoop, allowing Chinese diving to return to the top of the world.
Consecutive successes
Under the leadership of Zhou Jihong, the Chinese diving team has successively created one after another impressive results in the 2006 World Cup, the 2007 World Championships and the 2011 Shanghai World Championships, winning most of the gold medals.
It is worth mentioning that at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, the Chinese diving team not only defeated traditional strong teams such as Russia and Italy, but also created the most dazzling record of 14 golds and 1 silver in history.
In order to allow Chinese divers to be treated fairly in the international arena, Zhou Jihong not only worked hard to enter the senior management of FINA as the vice president, but also paid expensive English training fees for the retired Guo Jingjing and Chen Ruolin out of his own pocket to help them learn the language and finally obtain the international referee qualification. After that, Guo Jingjing did defend the rights and interests of Chinese athletes as a referee and technical official in major international events, including the Tokyo Olympics.
After retiring, Guo Jingjing and Chen Ruolin are by no means Zhou Jihong's greatest efforts. In fact, she put more energy into the cultivation of a new generation of diving stars, especially Quan Hongchan, the pride of the sky.
Quan Hongchan is naughty and cute, but has innate athletic talent and perseverance, and under Zhou Jihong's careful training, she finally won the gold medal in the 10-meter platform for China at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In order to fight for fairness, Zhou Jihong did not hesitate to reason with the referee on the field. At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, she appealed for her godson Zhang Xinhua, which finally made FINA pay attention to the unfair judgment of Chinese athletes. The incident also made Zhou Jihong realize that more Chinese must be allowed to enter this foreign-dominated international sports organization.
In 2021, Zhou Jihong, then 56 years old, was finally elected FINA women's vice president, which was a historic breakthrough for the Chinese sports community in international sports organizations. As a pivotal decision-maker, I believe that Zhou Jihong will create a more fair competitive environment for Chinese athletes in the world arena.
epilogue
Throughout Zhou Jihong's coaching career, although she has a strict style, her core is a high degree of dedication to China's diving career. Whether it's the expulsion of star athletes or the development of rookies, it is nothing more than to ensure discipline and progress in the national team.
Although her approach has caused controversy many times, with the successive successes of the Chinese diving team in the international arena, her skills and vision have finally been recognized. Today's Zhou Jihong can finally look at the achievements of his career for decades with great ambition: a unique Chinese diving kingdom.
This "Iron Lady" has created a supreme legend of contemporary diving with her perseverance. From an ordinary girl from a poor background, with her tenacious will and unremitting efforts, she first created personal brilliance on the field; Subsequently, as a coach, he re-elevated Chinese diving from the trough to the top of the world.
With her perseverance, she pushed Chinese diving to the top and won honor for the country. Now, she has further braved the wind and waves and become an important decision-maker in the international sports arena, fighting for the fair treatment that Chinese athletes deserve on the world stage.
In the process, she encountered criticism several times, but she was determined to move forward through the waves. It is with this indomitable fighting spirit that she can write her own legend.
For Zhou Jihong, diving is not only a sport, but also a belief. She has integrated her lifelong passion and pursuit into this cause, and demonstrated the national character of the Chinese nation with practical actions.
In the future, Zhou Jihong will continue to move forward in a higher field and contribute to the Chinese nation's sports career. Her legendary story will always inspire the young generation who are chasing their dreams, and encourage them to make unremitting efforts for the future of the motherland with high morale and enterprising attitude.
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