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On August 4, Beijing time, Guangdong Guangzhou athlete Mo Ziwei and teammates Wu Bin, Xu Jie, and Chen Haiwei competed for the top four places in the men's team foil competition at the Paris Olympics.In the end, they lost to the defending champion France team 35-45, but defeated Canada and Poland to finish fifth.

Previously, Mo Ziwei lost to Zhang Jialang 10-15 in the men's individual foil competition and was eliminated in the round of 16.

During the match, Mo Ziwei was hit in the face by his opponent, but he still insisted on playing and tied with his opponent in the last game. However, the Chinese team eventually lost to the French team 35-45 and stopped in the quarterfinals.

After Mo Ziwei was injured, he made a brief adjustment and said that there was no problem and he could continue the game. However, the referee suspended the game for a long time.

This year marks the 20th year that Mo Ziwei has been practicing swordsmanship. At the age of 27, he finally got a ticket to the Paris Olympics. Although he failed to win a medal to fulfill his dream of going to Paris, his persistence in finishing the race despite his injury has already demonstrated the Olympic spirit.

Wounded twice

Tenacious fight against the defending champion

On the evening of July 29, in the men's individual foil event, Mok Tsz-wai faced the defending champion of the event, Cheung Ka-long of the Hong Kong team. In the early stages of the match, Cheung Ka-long had the upper hand and scored several points in a row. Mok Tsz-wai stabilized his position and quickly adjusted his rhythm, chasing several points in a row, and once chased the score to 6 to 8.

Mo Ziwei sprained his right ankle while attacking rapidly, and the severe pain affected his performance.

Zhang Jialang stepped up his offensive and Mo Ziwei lost points repeatedly, but he still fought hard and tenaciously won 4 points after his foot injury. In the end, Mo Ziwei failed to break through Zhang Jialang's defensive counterattack and was eliminated by Zhang Jialang with a score of 10 to 15.

“Five days later, try again with stronger faith!”After the game, Mo Ziwei posted a message on Weibo to motivate himself. He said that the Olympic arena objectively reflects the comprehensive strength of athletes. We should pay attention to the gap and affirm ourselves. We should regroup and continue to fight in the men's foil team competition.

On the afternoon of August 4, in the men's foil team quarterfinals, the Chinese team, led by Mo Ziwei, faced the defending champion French team. Mo Ziwei played 3 games and was hit in the face by his opponent, but he still insisted on playing and tied with his opponent in the last game.However, the Chinese team eventually lost to the French team 35-45 and was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

In the men's foil team 5th-8th place qualifying round,Mo Ziwei played very well in the offensive phase, helping the Chinese team beat Canada 45-32 and Poland 45-30 respectively.

Advance and retreat continue to compete

"Just don't stop!"

Mo Ziwei was born in Liwan District, Guangzhou. In the second grade of primary school, he was selected to join the fencing team of Liwan District Sports School to start his initial training. In 2006, he was selected for the Guangzhou Fencing Team. In 2013, he transferred to the fencing department of Guangdong Ersha Sports Training Center for training. In 2016, he joined the national team.

His fencing journey was not smooth sailing. It took Mo Ziwei ten years from the beginning of fencing to joining the national team. He admitted that the process was very painful. Seeing his peers start to stand out in domestic and even international youth competitions, he felt unwilling to give up, so he doubled his hard work and trained specifically for his shortcomings in international competitions.

"Accept the consequences of failure and accept the troubles of injuries."Mo Ziwei wrote on Weibo that he gradually reconciled with his performance and injuries since 2021 and faced them positively. Before the 2021 National Games, he tore his right wrist and was still in the recovery period until April 2022, with basically no confrontational training.

He injured his knee in December 2022, and he was very anxious facing the Olympic qualifying tournament."How bad can it be? Maybe it is, but now that we are on the road, don't stop!"Mo Ziwei encouraged himself.

What helped him get through this low point was the Mamba Mentality of his idol Kobe. Before every big competition, Mo Ziwei would always use Kobe's famous saying to remind himself: "There will always be someone who is the champion, why can't it be me?"

Finally, in case of injury,He still won the individual runner-up in the 2022 Asian Championships and the individual champion in the 2023 Asian Championships. It was also the first time in 11 years that the Chinese team won the individual championship in the men's foil at the Asian Championships.。

Late Bloomer

27-year-old won the first Olympic ticket

At the 2023 Milan Fencing World Championships, Mo Ziwei won the runner-up in the men's foil team competition. After the game, he posted on Weibo: "21 days, the first full season, I have also made new breakthroughs in my persistence. From Bonn to Milan, it ended like a dream. I never thought that my first world competition medal would be the World Championships." Mo Ziwei won his first world competition medal in 2023. Compared with other athletes who are at the peak of their debut and have explosive power, he is the type of late bloomer who gradually accumulates and settles.

This year's Asian Championships was the last international event that Mo Ziwei participated in before the Paris Olympics. He won the men's foil team gold medal and the men's foil individual bronze medal. This is his third consecutive medal in the Asian Championships.

Mo Ziwei participated in the men's foil team and men's foil individual events in the Paris Olympics. Although he was eliminated in the top 8 and top 16 respectively, his perseverance and calm performance have defeated himself. Life is like the sea, winning or losing is far less important than accepting yourself and facing failure positively.

Source | Five Star Sports, Migu Sports, CCTV Video, Southern Network, Beijing Youth Daily