Cool Summer in Paris | Live coverage of Jiangsu shooting and archery athletes’ triumphant return: Ending the Paris journey, looking forward to the Los Angeles Olympics
2024-08-10
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At noon on August 9th, Beijing time, Jiangsu athletes who represented China in shooting, archery and other events at the Paris Olympics and achieved excellent results landed in Nanjing by plane. After arriving at the Fangshan Sports Training Base in Jiangsu Province, the triumphant athletes received a warm welcome from the people of their hometown. "Everything starts from scratch after stepping down from the podium", they have already drawn a period at the Paris Olympics, and although they have not yet started to enjoy a moment of rest after the competition, the future goals have already appeared clearly in everyone's mind.
I hope to inspire more people with the gold medal
Sheng Lihao, who won two gold medals in the mixed team and men's 10m air rifle at the Paris Olympics, was known for his few words in the post-match interview. The word he said most in Paris was "growth".
Finally returning to the familiar Fangshan base, facing the hometown media, even his head coach Yao Ye said, "(Sheng Lihao) won two gold medals, one of which was his first gold medal, which is indeed worthy of everyone's recognition." However, facing the interview, Sheng Lihao, with a smile, thought carefully and simply said, "This time is still as nervous as the last time, but I have grown a little this time."
In Sheng Lihao's own opinion, the difference between the Tokyo Olympics and the Paris Olympics is only that "the venues are different and the rhythm of the games is different", and all he did was to "return to my skills and focus on the game itself". But in the eyes of the outside world, this shy boy, who took the "last train" to the Tokyo Olympics and won the silver medal, and then shot the first gold medal for China in the Paris Olympics, has proved his strength with his undisputed performance and transformed into a true "Chinese sharpshooter".
"Thank you for your expectation and watching me." After returning with honors and meeting his parents and family whom he had missed for a long time, Sheng Lihao was still "thrifty with words". "Thank you very much for your support and love. I hope you can be inspired by me and live a better life."
The end of the Paris Olympics is a new beginning
From leading the then 14-year-old Sheng Lihao through the gate of Fangshan Base in 2017, to accompanying him through the Tokyo Olympic cycle, and witnessing his growth in the Paris Olympic cycle, when asked about the biggest change in Sheng Lihao over the years, coach Yao Ye thought for a moment, then said with a kind smile: "The biggest change is that (he) has grown up."
"He will face many more difficulties and challenges in the future." In Yao Ye's view, every athlete who can represent China in the Olympic Games is a "genius", and after winning two precious gold medals in the Paris Olympics, Sheng Lihao's mission is still unfinished. "My requirement for him is to win a Grand Slam championship. For him in the future, I think this is just the beginning."
Sheng Lihao's story is "to be continued". Yang Xiaolei, a Jiangsu girl who was one of the silver medalists in the Paris Olympic women's archery team and returned on the same plane, also felt the same way. "When we played against South Korea, we also had a fighting attitude. We didn't win the last round, which was a little regretful." Yang Xiaolei said that this silver medal with regret also gave her more motivation, "I still want to push forward. If possible, I still want to prepare for the Los Angeles Olympics."
"The experience of the competition is the biggest gain of my trip." Wang Yan, who failed to advance further in the men's archery team and individual competitions at the Paris Olympics by a hair's breadth, also said, "This time I was just a little short, and I hope to make up for it in Los Angeles."
Yangzi Evening News/Ziniu News reporter Huang Xiyin
Video shot by Huang Xiyin
Editing by Dai Zhehan
Proofread by Li Haihui
