Chinese Legion·Fourth Gold
Yesterday, in the men's synchronized 10-meter platform final of the Paris Olympic Games, Chinese player Yang Hao/ Lian Junjie won the gold medal with an excellent score of 490.35 points, regaining lost ground for the Chinese diving team. He won another Olympic gold medal in this event eight years later. This is also the second gold medal won by the Chinese diving team at this Olympics and the fourth gold medal for the Chinese sports delegation. With this gold medal, the Chinese diving team has won a total of 49 gold medals in the history of the Olympic Games, surpassing the United States team to become the diving team with the most Olympic gold medals.
Yang Hao withdrew from the last Olympic Games due to injury
For the Chinese diving team, their goal in the Olympics over the years has been to win all the gold medals. But three years ago in Tokyo, the only gold medal the Chinese team lost was the men's synchronized 10-meter platform. At that time, the Cao Yuan /Chen Aisen combination performed poorly and only won the silver medal. Recovering lost ground at the Paris Olympics is undoubtedly of great significance.
Entering the Paris Olympic cycle, the baton of the men's ten-meter platform synchronized event was handed over to Yang Hao and Lian Junjie. Relatively speaking, Yang Hao, who was born in 1998, has more experience. When preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, Yang Hao was a key player in the men's platform training. At the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Yang Hao and Chen Aisen partnered to win the men's 10-meter platform synchronized championship. In the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, the two won the championship together again. Since then, they have won many FINA diving series competitions as long as they participate. However, the pair failed to last until the Tokyo Olympics.
Injury is one of the important factors. Yang Hao's worsening waist injury requires him to "downgrade" the difficulty when doing some movements. At the same time, Yang Hao faced increasing competitive pressure, which made him take the initiative to leave before the Tokyo Olympics. "In the environment at that time, I felt that I couldn't hold on. The main problem was the old injury in my waist and my ability to withstand pressure. I felt that if I were to be held to the standards of an athlete competing for the Olympics, , is not up to standard. So, what I thought at that time was to give up completely," Yang Hao told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily.
Entering the Paris Olympic cycle, Yang Hao's technical maturity, mental endurance and movement stability are much better than three years ago. He has gradually become a core team member of the men's 10-meter platform.
Lian Junjie once failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics
In the double event, Lian Junjie, who is 2 years younger than Yang Hao, became his partner. Lian Junjie, born in 2000, is known as "Big Eye" in the Chinese diving team.
During the preparation period for the Tokyo Olympics, Lian Junjie was relatively close to participating in the Olympics. "At that time, I dreamed that I was standing in the Olympics, and my heart was tight. I just felt that there was hope, and I forced myself to rush forward every day without letting up," said Lian Junjie.
But in the end, considering all factors, Lian Junjie still failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. He recalled: "When I first got the news, I couldn't react for a while, and I cried the next day."
has entered the preparation cycle for the Paris Olympics. Starting from the second half of 2021, Lian Junjie and Yang Hao will compete together In the men's synchronized 10-meter platform, they have won championships along the way: three consecutive world championships in 2022, 2023, and 2024, Asian Games championships, multiple World Cup championships, and domestic championships, becoming the true champions of this event. King.
The two of them are moving forward together
Although Yang Hao is older than Lian Junjie and has more experience, Yang Hao said that it was not him who led Lian Junjie forward during the pairing process, but "the two of them" Let’s move forward together.” Relatively speaking, Lian Junjie's talent is not very outstanding. "Because of my height and ability, I am a little slow to learn some moves." Lian Junjie said, including the difficult move 207b (backward somersault three-and-a-half-fold) in the double move. The 207b movement is not only for elite athletes, it is also not easy for other athletes to master it. What Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen made in the Tokyo Olympics was the 207b movement.
Lian Junjie officially came into contact with the 207b movement in March 2022. At that time, he spent about 40 days practicing.Lian Junjie has forgotten how many times his back hit the water to practice this move, but he knows very well that if he wants to stand in the Paris Olympics, he must break this "hard nut".
"In the Paris Olympic cycle, I just ask myself to seize every opportunity and rely on my own efforts to win back in Paris what I didn't get in the Tokyo cycle." Lian Junjie said.
Two athletes who had regrets during the Tokyo Olympics eventually became good partners during the Paris Olympics and together they achieved the goal of winning Olympic gold. "I feel very lucky to have a partner like him (Lian Junjie)." Yang Hao told a reporter from Beiqing Daily.
Text/Photograph by Song Xiang, our correspondent in Paris
/Photography by our correspondent Huang Liang
Coordinator/Wang Yong
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