(Tokyo Olympics) Xin Xin lost gold, and how hard it is behind
China News Service, Tokyo, August 4
China News Agency reporter Zhang Su
After more than two hours of fierce battle in the sea and a doping test procedure of almost the same length, Xin Xin, a 24-year-old Chinese swimmer, finally came to the reporter.
Her frustration and self-blame are beyond words.
In the Tokyo Olympic Women’s 10km Marathon Swimming held that day, as the champion of the 2019 Gwangju World Championships and the fourth place in the Rio Olympic Games, Xin Xin, who was optimistic before the game, finally swam with a score of 2 hours, 0 minutes, 10 seconds and 01. Ranked eighth among 25 players.
Three players from Brazil, the Netherlands and Australia won gold, silver and bronze medals.
According to the coach's analysis, Xin Xin once rushed to third in the game. One of the reasons for the failure was that she was accidentally awarded a yellow card during the sprint stage, which made her feel helpless.
Xin Xin herself did not understand why she received a yellow card until the time of the interview, but apparently, this affected her speed and psychological state, and she fell out of the "first echelon".
Objectively speaking, the difficulties and obstacles facing Xin Xin are not just a yellow card.
Earlier, the Japan Meteorological Agency estimated that Tokyo will usher in the first "severe summer day" of this year on the 4th, that is, the highest temperature will exceed 35 degrees Celsius.
At 6 o'clock on the 4th, the official said that the water temperature reached 29.3 degrees Celsius, which is close to the upper limit of the water temperature allowed for the competition.
The scorching heat greatly consumes the athletes' physical strength, and the water quality of the competition venue is also "dragging".
Although Japanese media reported that the sampling and testing of water pollution conditions were up to the standard, many contestants have criticized the unpleasant smell.
Xin Xin also found a lot of black bugs on his body when he was training there.
In addition, the timing of the event is hard to compliment.
Xin Xin introduced the itinerary of the day: get up at 3 am, have a simple meal, take the shuttle bus to the stadium at 4 am, check the first time at 4:30, complete a series of operations such as posting numbers and checking swimsuits, and prepare for about half an hour of warm-up The activity, the second check-in at 6:10, and the start of the game at 6:30...
But Xin Xin was unwilling to make excuses for the loss.
She repeatedly emphasized that these external conditions are the same for everyone.
Competing with Xin Xin on the same court is no small matter.
The Brazilian star Cunha, who stood out and won the gold medal that day, has absolute strength in the open water swimming event.
At the Gwangju World Championships, she won both 5km and 25km.
The silver medalist and Dutch player Lovindahl is the defending Olympic champion.
Xin Xin said after resuming the entire game that she was still inexperienced and had too much physical contact with her opponents, which consumed her physical strength and made her unable to swim at the last minute.
She was disappointed with this ranking.
The girl with such "dual gold" in her name failed to get the gold as she wished. She posted an apology on her personal social media: "I let everyone down on this project..."
However, the message was full of encouraging words, and many people expressed that they were moved by Xin Xin's dedication.
In fact, this is Xin Xin's third "Olympic Journey".
She made her first Olympic debut in London and participated in the women's 800-meter freestyle.
The coach saw her as "more able to endure hardship" and mobilized her to switch to the women's 10km marathon swimming.
Xin Xin knew that his talent was not particularly good, and since then he has taken root in a project that "many people are unwilling to practice".
The difficulty is indescribable, and the comparison of daily training volume is very intuitive: short-distance athletes are about 3,000 to 4,000 meters, long-distance athletes are about 8,000 meters, and Xin Xin’s is 15,000 meters.
The dangers surrounding the open water are not comparable indoors.
Xin Xin still remembers the jellyfish attack she encountered, "I couldn't sleep at two or three o'clock in the night because I was bitten and itchy and painful", but the next day, she went into the water on time to swim 5,000 meters...
For this reason, Xin Xin is often referred to as the "Iron Girl".
"Iron Girl" also has a soft heart.
Knowing that her parents hadn't contacted her for a long time in order to make her feel at ease, Xin Xin was finally able to "act like a coquettish" today.
She said that she will adjust her mood next, and most want to eat "the jealous cabbage my dad made."
(Finish)