On the evening of July 27th, Beijing time, in the women's three-meter springboard synchronized final of the Paris Olympic Games, the Chinese combination Chen Yiwen / Chang Yani won the gold medal with 337.68 points, helping the Chinese diving team achieve an Olympic success in this event. Six consecutive championships!
The women's three-meter double springboard has always been the trump card event of the Chinese diving team. Entering the Paris Olympic cycle, the burden of this project falls on the shoulders of Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani. In fact, the two were already reserve members of the team during the Tokyo Olympics a few years ago, but at that time there were Olympic and world champions like Shi Tingmao and Wang Han around them, so Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani were not You will feel too much pressure.
"At that time, Chang Yani and I were laughing and joking every day, because we were still small team members at the time and didn't feel much pressure. I remember that Sister Mao (Shi Tingmao) told us to cherish our young days. At that time, I still I don’t quite understand it, but now I think what she said makes sense.” Chen Yiwen recalled the situation to a Beijing Youth Daily reporter, “When we entered the Paris Olympics cycle, we felt a lot of pressure because we were originally in a position where someone was leading us. stage, and now Chang Yani and I have to rush together. The honor of the Chinese women's springboard needs us to defend it."
After the Tokyo Olympics, famous players such as Shi Tingmao and Wang Han gradually faded out of the competition, and Chen Yiwen and Chang Yanni walked to the front desk, and they paired up for the women's three-meter springboard synchronized event. The first important competition will be the 2022 World Championships in Budapest.
“In fact, that World Championships was a big challenge for us. Because during the preparation period for the Tokyo Olympics, the coach’s requirements for our movements were not so high, and the details were not so detailed. But when we entered the preparation period for the Paris Olympics, Everything has changed a lot." Chen Yiwen said, "Our technical movements have gone through a process of major changes. "
The most difficult part of this kind of training is the first two of the five jumps in the double event. Although the prescribed movements are not very difficult and the movements are relatively simple, it is not easy to jump well and get high scores. "Although the prescribed actions look simple, the requirements for the rigor of details are particularly high. Both of us had our own problems with these two actions at the time." Chen Yiwen recalled to Beiqing Daily, "I remember that in early 2022 , we have to practice the same prescribed movement for at least half an hour. At that time, either I couldn't do one of the movements, or she couldn't do one of the movements tomorrow. In short, it was difficult for us to accept this process mentally, but there was no way. , the two of us could only support each other all the time, and the most we said every day was: We can do it. This lasted for more than a year, and after the Hangzhou Asian Games, our two prescribed actions slowly stabilized. "
At the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, Chen Yiwen/Chang Yani won the championship with 343.14 points. This was their first World Championships women's three-meter springboard double event championship. During the award ceremony, Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani held hands on stage together. Since then, holding hands on the highest podium has almost become a "required action" for this pair.
"We all felt that winning the championship was particularly difficult, so we discussed holding hands to receive the award together. Later, this became a habit for us." Chen Yiwen said.
Starting from the 2022 World Championships, Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani started to win the championship in the women's three-meter springboard double event. During this period, whether it was the World Cup sub-station, finals, world championships, domestic test competitions, etc., as long as they Playing together, the champion of the women's three-meter springboard synchronized event was never missed.
Over the years, the tacit understanding and friendship between the two have become deeper. Chen Yiwen said: "I think she (Chang Yani) is the best.Chang Yani also said: "I think our two partners are the best, no one else." "After Chang Yani finished speaking, she first gave Chen Yiwen a thumbs up, and then she gave two thumbs up to describe their partnership.
In the Chinese sports world, there are countless champion partners, but like Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani It is rare to see a close friend and championship partner. This is mainly because their growth trajectories in the national team are so closely linked.
"The two of us did not grow up in competition, but in encouraging each other. " Chang Yani commented this way.
Chen Yiwen said: "I remember that in 2022, the performance pressure we face is still quite high, and sometimes it feels really overwhelming. But at that time, Changyani and I really supported each other to move forward. "
Chang Yani regards Chen Yiwen as her most trustworthy friend. She said: "Sometimes I feel that when I am stumbling in practice, the team leader and coach have been supporting me. When my heart collapses, I I went directly to Chen Yiwen to cry and complain. And her encouragement touched my heart. We just trusted each other and opened our hearts to each other. I think she is a rare best friend in my life. "
Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani are 2 years apart in age and have very different personalities. In Chen Yiwen's words, "This is actually more conducive to us establishing tacit understanding and trust. So, you see, when we play with two people, there won’t be too many commands, just prepare, go...because I know what she is going to do. "
" Over the years, of course, there will be times when we do things poorly, but we will not have conflicts because of these things. We all understand each other and apologize to each other when we fail to do a good job. "Chen Yiwen told a reporter from Beiqing Daily, "In my eyes, Chang Yani is a good companion. When I need her, she will always be there. "
Chen Yiwen's head coach Nie Yudi saw all this. He commented: "The relationship between the two of them is very good. I think this is very important for the double project, and it is easier to have a tacit understanding. . "
Chen Yiwen/Chang Yani have always been considered the most stable combination in this event before the Paris Olympics. However, when competing in the Diving World Cup in March this year, Chang Yani's shoulder injury became serious and she was absent from Berlin and Xi'an. The two important events also made people worried about this. Chang Yani had a shoulder injury, but this time the injury worsened and she needed three weeks to recover, which was unprecedented for her. Challenge. “When I first found out I was going to be out for three weeks, I burst into tears. I am an athlete who has to train every day. I have no talent. So I have to practice hard to gain a firm footing. No matter how hard or painful it is, it doesn't matter. But this news is a bit of a blow. I have never been injured for so long. "Chang Yani said this when recalling the situation at the time.
But these were just a small episode as Chen Yiwen/Chang Yani rushed to the top. They overcame many difficulties together and finally stood on the highest podium of the Olympic Games as they wished. It also wrote a good story in the Chinese sports world, making the aura of the women's three-meter springboard double event even brighter.
Text/Beiqing Sports Paris Special Correspondent Song Xiang
