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Du Jincheng, special correspondent for the Paris Olympics at Peninsula All Media and Dazhong Daily

At this time, 11-year-old children should be enjoying their holidays or busy with their summer homework. However, 11-year-old Zheng Haohao completed her first Olympic journey in the Concorde Stadium in Paris. On the evening of August 6, Beijing time, the women's bowl skateboarding preliminaries of the Paris Olympics started. Chinese athlete Zheng Haohao finally scored 63.19 points, failed to make it into the top eight, and missed the finals. Zheng Haohao, who will be 12 years old in 5 days, is the youngest athlete in this Paris Olympics and the youngest athlete in the history of the Chinese Olympic delegation.

"Little Sister"'s first Olympic experience

Zheng Haohao from Huizhou, Guangdong, is affectionately called "Little Sister" by netizens. She qualified for the Paris Olympics at the last minute through the skateboarding Olympic qualification series. The fact that this youngest skater in Chinese Olympic history can stand on the stage in Paris is a victory in itself.

In the Shanghai stop of the Olympic Qualifying Series in May this year, Zheng Haohao ranked 20th among 44 contestants with a score of 51.73. A month later in Budapest, Zheng Haohao's level improved a lot, but she was only ranked 21st in the end. Although this ranking did not allow her to advance to the semi-finals with only 16 contestants, according to the rules that each country/region association can only have a maximum of 3 Olympic qualifications, Zheng Haohao, who is ranked 27th in the world, advanced to the Paris Olympics at the last minute with the 21st position.

At her age, it is hard for Zheng Haohao to explain what the Olympics means. She just thinks that "participating in the Olympics will make me more powerful." In the memories of Zheng Haohao's family, "Little Sister" initially learned skateboarding out of interest. Later, she persisted out of love. Even if she suffered injuries in the middle of the process, it did not discourage Zheng Haohao from moving forward on the road of skateboarding.

On August 6, Beijing time, "Little Sister" finally stood on the stage of the Paris Olympics. It can be seen that she was not too nervous, and she got a high score of 63.19 in her first performance. However, in the next two rounds of competition, Zheng Haohao, who wanted to challenge higher difficulty, made mistakes and failed to complete all the moves. In the end, Zheng Haohao failed to break into the top eight and missed the women's bowl pool finals of the Paris Olympics. But in any case, this first Olympic experience is precious to Zheng Haohao.

Looking forward to participating in the Olympics again in five years

Zheng Haohao has loved sports since she was a child, but she has only been practicing skateboarding for about three years. She once gave a simple explanation for why she likes skateboarding: excitement. It is undeniable that Zheng Haohao does have some talent in skateboarding. In the 2020 14th National Games Skateboarding Qualifying Competition, she stood out from the contestants with a score of 13th.

Interestingly, since he first started learning skateboarding, Zheng Haohao's dream was to participate in the Olympics. Even when he suffered injuries or his family was a little shaken, Zheng Haohao persisted without hesitation. It is understood that in order to compete in the Olympics, Zheng Haohao's life once became a straight line of "skateboard field, school, and home." During the Shanghai Station of the Olympic Qualification Series, Zheng Haohao said in an interview: "I have almost put all my energy on skateboarding in the past few months. I am very anxious to eat every day because I am always thinking about the skateboard field, home, and school. And I went to Nanjing for training recently, and my skills have also improved a lot, because the venue in Nanjing is very good and smooth, which is very helpful for improving my skills."

Participating in the Paris Olympics has fulfilled Zheng Haohao's long-cherished wish. So whether in or out of the stadium, she always has a smile on her face. She said: "We are opponents on the court, but friends off the court. Although everyone wants to win first place, we still play together after the game. I also laughed during the game. I feel that it is good to adjust my mood in this way."

Before the Olympics, Zheng Haohao was asked what she wanted to do during the Olympics. She answered: "I will probably go to the Eiffel Tower and see if there are any good skateparks over there. There are a lot of French kids playing there, so it should be fun." But when it comes to her ultimate goal, Zheng Haohao said: "If possible, I hope to participate in the Los Angeles Olympics and make it into the top five."