(Tokyo Olympics) Liu Hong: Bronze medal curtain call to pay tribute to "unremitting challenge"

　　China News Service, Tokyo, August 6th. Title: Liu Hong: Bronze Medal Call for "Unremitting Challenge"

　　China News Agency reporter

　　On August 6, 34-year-old Liu Hong called a bronze medal for another Olympic journey.

　　The Olympic "Four Dynasties", the creator of the Olympic Games, the World Championships and the world record "Grand Slam", the "mother athlete", for Liu Hong, who once again stood on the starting line of the women's 20-kilometer race walk in the Tokyo Olympics, is moving today. Every step taken is not only for the victory or defeat.

　　In 2002, the 15-year-old Liu Hong started her professional racewalking training at a major sports school. Since 2005, she has been vigorous and tough by nature and began to show her edge in competitions.

Since then, the top arena Olympics began to be the footnote of her sports career.

　　In the 2008 Beijing Olympics in 1 hour 27 minutes and 17 seconds, Liu Hong created the best result in a personal competition. Four years later, Liu Hong finished fourth in 1 hour and 26 minutes at the London Olympics. Deprived of his performance, Liu Hong made the third runner-up. In another four years, at the Rio Olympics, 1 hour 28 minutes 35 seconds, gold medal, Liu Hong stood at the pinnacle of his life.

　　In the three Olympic Games, people saw the progressive inspiration from the fourth place to the top of the podium. For Liu Hong, behind these three nodes are three Olympic cycles, 12 years day and night. Persistence and hard work.

　　After Rio’s peak, Liu Hong gradually faded away, marrying and giving birth to a daughter away from the game. However, the ending of the story that seemed to be "a matter of course" in people's eyes quickly changed the direction of development. Less than a year after the birth of his daughter, he had worked hard for many years. Liu Hong resolutely chose to make a comeback.

On August 6, local time, in the women's 20-kilometer walking race at the Tokyo Olympics, Rio Olympic champion and Chinese star Liu Hong won the bronze medal in 1 hour, 29 minutes and 57 seconds.

　　"I can't bear it, but I really want to come back and break the record. It feels like a new beginning. The feeling of competition and training is different from before. Of course, my goal is still very clear, to surpass myself." That's it, June 2018 In August, 31-year-old Liu Hong started the long road to return.

　　Compared with the previous three Olympic cycles, preparing for Liu Hong is more difficult and arduous this time.

　　The former Olympic champion must first face postpartum recovery, weight loss, weaning, and severe decline in muscle level, so everything starts from the beginning, treadmill, formal training, altitude training...different from people's imagination of "fighting" or "fighting" or " "Boil", this path of gradually catching up with the self once seemed to be "happy" in Liu Hong's eyes, "I follow my own heart for the choices I made myself."

　　Under the strong psychological energy, Liu Hong recovered quickly. In the National Race Walking Grand Prix and World Championship 50km Trial held in Huangshan in March 2019, Liu Hong won the championship with a time of 3 hours, 59 minutes and 15 seconds and broke the world record.

Six months later, Liu Hong won the women's 20-kilometer walking championship at the Doha World Championships and won his third gold medal in the World Championships.

　　At that time, Liu Hong was full of confidence and hoped to hit the highest podium of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

However, the epidemic has changed everything.

For a 33-year-old veteran at the time, there were too many variables and challenges in waiting for more than a year. "I think athletes have experienced the confusion I experienced in this Olympic cycle." Liu Hong said frankly that his daughter gave With her determination and courage to persist, "I hope she can see me go to the Olympics."

　　"Competitive sports is the limit of comparing people. You must be able to persevere better than others." After many years of athlete career, Liu Hong knows the meaning of "persistence".

At the National Walking Championships and Tokyo Olympic Trials in March this year, the 34-year-old surpassed the world record she set in 2015.

　　The veteran was excited and full of enthusiasm to win the admission ticket to the Tokyo Olympics by refreshing her best results, and "surpassing the past" is exactly the goal she set for herself when she comes back.

　　On August 6, 2021, Sapporo Odori Park, the Tokyo Olympic Games Women's 20-kilometer Race Walking Finals, Liu Hong finally ushered in this surpassing victory.

In the case of poor performance of the two teammates, the returning veteran finally won a precious bronze medal in 1 hour, 29 minutes and 57 seconds.

　　"Our speed is very low, the weather is too hot, the final sprint is not daring to rush, we are a bit conservative." Liu Hong's summary after the game was calm and objective.

　　Perhaps it is a bit regretful not to be able to stand on the highest podium, but for Liu Hong, who finished the four Olympic Games, the words "try my best" compared with the quality of the medals, the weight is not lost.

(Finish)