"The five Olympic Games, one, two, three, four, five, are somewhat satisfactory and somewhat regretful."
walked into the mixed interview area after the game. When Gong Lijiao saw a large group of Chinese reporters waiting for her, she suddenly As soon as he said these words, the reporters at the scene were immediately amused, and the originally gloomy atmosphere instantly eased.
What Gong Lijiao said about "one, two, three, four, five" is actually her ranking in the five Olympic Games - she won the bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a throw of 19.20 meters; she won the silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics with a throw of 20.22 meters. ; In the 2016 Rio Olympics, she ranked fourth and performed poorly; at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she finally won the gold medal with 20.58 meters; this time in Paris, the 35-year-old Gong Lijiao threw 19.27 meters and finally ranked fourth. five.
Life is not just about rewards.
Gong Lijiao admitted that she still has some regrets about not being able to defend her title. "Life is not about just rewards. Last year I won a Grand Slam, so this year I have a little regret."
Gong Lijiao's regrets are not only due to Paris. Her Olympic rankings and results were due to injuries that prevented her from exerting her full ability. In early July this year, Gong Lijiao threw a 20-meter throw in the last official game before the Olympics, ranking sixth in the world this season. However, just before the Olympics, injuries struck the veteran again. .
"Actually, I practiced very well some time ago, even better than the same period of the Tokyo Olympics. My ball training and strength training are in the best condition." Gong Lijiao said frankly that it was also the excellent state in the final stage of preparing for the Olympics. She wanted to maintain such a state too much, and then the training volume exceeded her load. "There were so many injuries before the game because of too much training, so the waist injuries appeared again."
Gong Lijiao revealed that she had re-injured herself before the game. Clark, the veteran coach who collaborated with me, also came to Paris. After learning about Gong Lijiao’s situation, he also asked her if she would consider closing the game before the game. “If I don’t close the game, I would have to withdraw directly, so I was in the organizing committee at that time. Before the final deadline set by the competition, I hit the blockade, and now I don’t feel any pain, but there is some soreness.”
Gong Lijiao herself said that from the time when she was in the best condition before the game to when the injury suddenly appeared, the whole process was like. "It's like a roller coaster", "Some time ago I really felt like I was alive again, like I was reborn, but then I couldn't find myself in Gong Lijiao's state, so it was actually quite uncomfortable."
"21 meters" The dream has not given up
The night rain in Paris has become the biggest enemy of the spin throwing players, and Gong Lijiao was not able to gain an advantage in this duel. After the first throw of 19.09 meters, Gong Lijiao did not throw 19.27 meters until the fifth throw, and still failed to break into the top three.
"Actually, Coach Clark also came to the scene this time. It was not easy to see this old coach who is over 80 years old rushing over." In fact, Gong Lijiao chose to "hold hands" with Coach Clark again this time because she hoped To be able to achieve a breakthrough, unfortunately, injuries have become the biggest obstacle. Gong Lijiao said frankly that after the Paris Olympics, she may choose to return to the state of "coaching herself", "I have experienced so many coaches. , I know all their advantages, and I also believe that only I know myself best. I know best whether I should increase or decrease the amount. If I feel relaxed, I will practice more. If I feel tired, I will practice more. Adjust it a little, so injuries are least likely to occur. "
When talking about the future, Gong Lijiao did not clearly indicate whether she would appear in the Los Angeles Olympics. After all, in terms of age, Gong Lijiao will be 39 years old four years later. The title of "Elder of the Six Dynasties" seems to be a luxury.
But what Gong Lijiao can be sure of is that she will not give up chasing her dream next year, which is the "21-meter mark" in the shot put competition. "I will never give up, but I dare not say that in the six Olympics, I just It can be said that anything is possible."
In fact, Gong Lijiao now has coaching qualifications, which is why she decided to be her own coach and form her own team after the Tokyo Olympics. In the next Los Angeles Olympic cycle, Gong Lijiao will also hold a more open attitude Faced with the shot put event with an attitude, she revealed that she would not only coach herself, but also provide guidance to suitable talents.
Gong Lijiao hopes that more talents can enter this "unpopular event" in her words. , she is also waiting for more young people to catch up. This mentality may also be the reason why she does not seem too depressed after missing the podium this year. "Congratulations to Song Jiayuan for holding the podium in China's shot put. , I also hope that she can continue to shoulder this responsibility after I retire. "
During the more than 10 minutes he stayed in the mixed interview area, Gong Lijiao inadvertently said "retire" and "step down" several times. Perhaps, there is really not much time left for Gong Lijiao to break through the "21-meter mark" , but her love for the shot put and her responsibility for Chinese sports will be passed down to Song Jiayuan and even more young shot put players.
Competitive sports are cruel, but learning to laugh at this cruelty is also powerful, just like Gong Lijiao. When talking about her failure to successfully defend her Olympic title this time, she just smiled and said, “I cried just now. "
