The "lone swimmer" in the Seine vividly illustrates the tenacity of athletes
2024-08-15
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
There are many moments in the Paris Olympics that make people reminisce. It can be said that behind every medal there is a story of sweat. But what impressed me most was Xin Xin, a woman from Jinan, Shandong, who did not win a medal. The media reporters called her the "lone swimmer" in the Seine. If Jinan wants to choose an "ambassador for the Spring City", I would like to vote for Xin Xin. I am moved by her tenacity to persevere to the end, her courageous and cautious swimming posture, and her optimistic attitude to enjoy the competition process.
On August 8, the Olympic marathon swimming women's 10km event was held in the Seine River. Xin Xin finished the race with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 02.9 seconds, ranking last among the 24 contestants. When she was sprinting in the final sprint, the audience stood up and applauded to cheer her on.
Xin Xin didn't win a medal this time, but she has tasted the feeling of winning a championship. In 2012, she won the women's 800m freestyle championship and the women's 1500m freestyle third place at the National Swimming Championships. A year later, she won the women's 800m freestyle again at the National Games.
Because of the competition, she switched to open water marathon swimming. Compared with indoor swimming, the training for a 10km marathon is much harder than imagined. Marathon swimming events are usually held outdoors in rivers, lakes and seas. The environment is unpredictable and athletes may encounter undercurrents, aquatic organisms, high and low temperatures and even water pollution. Generally, short-distance swimmers train 3 to 4 kilometers a day, long-distance swimmers train about 8 kilometers, and Xin Xin trains 15 kilometers a day. In preparation for the Rio Olympics, Xin Xin went to Yantai for adaptive training and was "attacked" by dense jellyfish that could not be dispersed even by boats. At the Tokyo Olympics, Xin Xin's body was crawling with unknown insects after entering the water. She told reporters: "It is precisely because marathon swimming is too difficult that many people are unwilling to practice, so I have the opportunity to practice events that others don't want to practice." Xin Xin, who has tasted the bitter taste, reaped the rewards in 2019 and won the Gwangju World Championships. This stubborn girl from Jinan won the first gold medal for Chinese athletes in the open water event of the world championship.
Xin Xin is great for not being picky and able to endure hardships; she is great for not giving up, completing the competition, and enjoying the process. Take the competition on the Seine River for example. She must have known that she had no chance of winning. Many people might choose to give up, saying that they had little chance of winning, and why would they swim, admit defeat, and lie down. But Xin Xin didn't. "No matter which place I swam in the end, I must finish the competition!" She tried her best to maintain the dignity of a professional athlete and complete a tough endurance contest. This reminds me of the porters of Mount Tai, who were described by People's Daily reporter Xu Jingeng as "the backbone of walking", that is, they have the tenacity to carry heavy loads to the top, not asking others for help, but asking their own shoulders. A Peking University professor who climbed Mount Tai 46 times in his life once recited the porters with deep affection: porters, porters, they are practical and don't talk about empty things. Steady step by step, heavy loads, sweat like springs, and strong like pine trees. Facing the scorching sun and the cold wind, from spring to summer, from autumn to winter, youth is dedicated to Mount Tai, and the scenery is left to the public. With this spirit, nothing can fail!
"Every time I watch a sports meet, I often think this way: the winners are respectable, but those athletes who fall behind but still keep running to the finish line, and the spectators who remain solemn and do not laugh when they see such athletes, are the backbone of China's future." This is what Mr. Lu Xun said. What he valued was the tenacity of the athletes.
Writer Wang Shuli recently published a collection of essays, "Passing by the Past." In one of the articles, he wrote that seeing the shoulder pole in his hometown reminded him of the scene of carrying water and grain when he was young. He still has to touch the shoulder pole when he has time, "do some symbolic work to let himself know what the shoulder is used for." What is the shoulder used for? The shoulder is just the shoulder, an ordinary part of the human body. However, our ancestors gave the shoulder a kind of ability, that is, the ability to bear weight and the ability to take responsibility. Later, it was extended to "carrying morality" and "carrying mission." I remember someone said that the mission is carried on the shoulder, and when the left shoulder is tired, the right shoulder is replaced.
Willing to do it, enjoying it, there is no best, only completion. Thinking of Xin Xin's swimming posture cutting through the waves, I remembered the phrase "What are shoulders for?" and also thought of the porters carrying heavy loads on the Eighteen Bends when climbing Mount Tai. The crystal sweat beads on their bronze shoulders and spines seemed to be saying: Mount Tai, give me strength!
What shines brightly is always the spirit. Xin Xin will never give up halfway, and the spirit of "finishing the game" will be imprinted in my mind for a long time.
(Mass News reporter Pang Chunjie)
