paris paralympic games · hometown connection | qi yongkai’s family: i miss him so much, i’m so proud of him, keep up the good work!
2024-09-06
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xinhua news agency, shijiazhuang, september 6 (reporter yang fan) with a difference of 1 kg, chinese star qi yongkai finished second in the men's weightlifting 59kg competition at the paris paralympic games. late at night in zuojiawu village, fengrun district, tangshan city, hebei province, more than 20 relatives, friends and neighbors gathered at qi yongkai's grandmother's house, some even leaned outside the window, watching qi yongkai on tv with tears in their eyes as he stepped onto the podium.
"weightlifting is such a 'meticulous' sport. the gap was not big this time, which is a pity, but qi yongkai's performance was relatively stable throughout the game. i hope he can continue to challenge himself in the next competition." lei lei said.
as qi yongkai's first coach, lei lei has won national championships and broken national and asian records in his career. after retiring, he returned to his hometown of tangshan to teach. the two became master and apprentice in 2012. "he is smart, he can learn quickly, and he can draw inferences from one example. he is a very smart child." he commented on qi yongkai.
qi yongkai was born in fengrun district in 1998 and was diagnosed with congenital leg defects. as the eldest grandson in the family, qi yongkai's arrival is a great joy, but it also inevitably makes his family worried. "how will he live without legs? we feel very distressed and want to give him more love." qi yongkai's mother chen shuqing said.
grandpa gave qi yongkai the nickname "tiantian", which is homophonic to "tiantian". the old man hopes that he will have a sweet and healthy life, and he also hopes that he will become a man of integrity.
qi yongkai in the competition on september 5. (photo by reporter lian yi)qi yongkai's leg disability caused him to encounter various difficulties during his growing up, but what made his family happy was that he had always been optimistic and independent: he tried to wash his own clothes at the age of five or six, did not need to be supervised in his studies, and did not have any emotional problems due to his leg disability.
qi yongkai has strong upper limb strength because of long-term use of upper limbs. after entering middle school, his strength was discovered by physical education teacher kuang baoze, who recommended him to weightlifting coach lei lei of tangshan sports school.
"when we first met, he was switching from a car to a wheelchair, and his movements were so agile that i liked him right away," lei lei told reporters. "the weightlifting hall of the sports school had two steps. at first i wanted to push him, but his father told me not to worry. i watched him climb up easily with his hands. i was very surprised. i had never seen a child like him before."
after several years of systematic training, qi yongkai won the hebei provincial championship, was recommended to the provincial team, and joined the national team in 2018.
on september 5, qi yongkai celebrated during the game. (photo by reporter lian yi)at the tokyo paralympics, qi yongkai withstood the pressure and won the gold medal in the men's 59kg class. at the hangzhou asian para games, he topped the list with a score of 194kg and set a new record. at the opening ceremony of the paris paralympics, qi yongkai appeared as the flag bearer of the chinese sports delegation, showing the elegance of chinese disabled people.
"seeing him appear in the world competition, he has really made progress. i am happy for him!" said lei lei.
qi yongkai has been away from home for nearly five months in preparation for the paris paralympic games. his mother chen shuqing misses him very much: "after the flag bearer for the opening ceremony was decided, he sent the official announcement video as soon as possible. we are really proud that he can represent china's disabled athletes and walk in the front, carrying the national flag. i miss him very much, but i know he is very busy, so i dare not call him often. this paralympic medal is a huge affirmation for him. i hope he can adjust his mentality and strive to compete for the country again in the future."
for the 76-year-old grandmother, qi yongkai is a grandson who "cautiously worries her". "every day is not easy. he has been able to take care of himself since he was young. it is great that he can win a medal this time. the important thing is to adjust myself well, keep working hard and achieve better results."
