Chinanews.com Guilin, August 7th, title: Self-made "barbell" with cement and steel pipes. Shi Zhiyong walks out of many weightlifting champions in his hometown
Author Zhao Linlu
In the men's 73 kg weightlifting finals of the Tokyo Olympics, Chinese athlete Shi Zhiyong won the gold medal and broke the world record for total results. This also made Shi Zhiyong's hometown, Wutong Town, Lingui District, Guilin City, Guangxi, the "hometown of weightlifting" once again received. extensive attention.
The picture shows the traditional stone shoulders and locks in the weightlifting building of Wutong Central Primary School.
Photo by Zhao Linlu
Small town out of multiple weightlifting world champions
For the past few days, Shi Zhiyong's hometown in Chongwei Village, Luojiang Village Committee, Wutong Town, has been very lively.
After winning the Rio Olympic gold medal, Shi Zhiyong won the Olympic gold medal again, which once again broke the tranquility of this small village.
In fact, in addition to Shi Zhiyong, Wutong, a small town with a population of only 60,000, also walked out of many weightlifting world champions and Olympic champions such as Xiao Mingxiang, Tang Lingsheng, Xiao Jiangang, and Tang Deshang.
"The reason why I practice weightlifting is completely influenced by the family atmosphere. Weightlifting is the most important topic in our family." Xiao Jiangang said.
In the 1960s, Xiao Mingxiang broke the world record with five and one tie; in the 1980s, Xiao Minglin broke the Asian record many times; in the 1990s, Xiao Jiangang won the bronze medal in the Olympics and the two championships in the World Weightlifting Championships.
Four of the six brothers in Xiao Mingxiang's family are weightlifters, and four of his nephew Xiao Jiangang's generation have practiced weightlifting and have won countless honors.
The Xiao family is therefore known as the "weightlifting home" in the Chinese sports world.
"At that time, the Chinese weightlifting industry was circulated'Chen Jiaju (the first Chinese Chen Jingkai family to break the world record), Xiao Jiayao', they recognized that our family has this gene suitable for weightlifting, and the coach said,'The surname Xiao does not need Selected material'." Xiao Jiangang said with a smile.
In the eyes of the locals, the reason why the five links are rich in "Hercules" is related to the people's love for sports. There has always been a local sports customs of lifting stone shoulders and stone locks.
When he was a boy, Xiao Mingxiang, who liked to lift a stone pole, started with a barbell made of stone and broke into the national team all the way.
Since then, the five-way weightlifting atmosphere has grown stronger.
The picture shows a rusty old-fashioned barbell.
Photo by Zhao Linlu
Homemade "earth barbell" with cement and steel pipe
Entering Wutong Central Primary School, this school where famous weightlifters such as Tang Lingsheng, Xiao Jiangang, Shi Zhiyong and others have studied is regarded as the cradle of champions.
In 1980, Wutong Central Primary School formed a weightlifting team, and Tang Yungui began his 40-year coaching career.
He said that in the beginning, there was no training venue, and the students trained in the open; there was only one pair of old barbells, and the students practiced with wooden boards, and they also used cement and steel pipes to make their own “earth barbells”.
"After lifting the barbell and hitting the ground, Huanglang Huanglang kept ringing, the sound of the iron plate lingering in his head. Without cushion cushion, the barbell hit the yellow mud and there was a hole." Xiao Jiangang recalled that he trained very well at that time. Hard work and going to school. He gets up at four or five in the morning every morning, and then walks one kilometer to go to school for training, even in snowy days.
Tang Yungui inspired the students with "God rewards hard work". He has always believed that as long as he works hard and is steadfast, he can get out of the Olympic champion from an ordinary small place.
In 1996, at the 26th Atlanta Olympic Games in the United States, Tang Lingsheng stunned the world in 12 seconds and won the Olympic gold medal. He has been talked about so far.
But few people know that Tang Lingsheng from the countryside almost gave up weightlifting because his family was poor.
After Tang Yungui heard about this incident, he took the initiative to ask Tang Lingsheng to boarding at the school and help him pay for the food, so that he could continue training without any worries.
In the weightlifting team, Tang Yungui just focused on daily training while taking care of their daily lives.
"Back then, Shi Zhiyong followed in the footsteps of his hometown predecessors Tang Lingsheng and Xiao Jiangang. Through his hard work, he has achieved current achievements." He has great strength, and he can endure hardship in particular.
The picture shows Xiao Shuanggui instructing students to train.
Photo by Zhao Linlu
"Hometown of Weightlifting" teenagers are beginning to emerge
After years of development, Wutong Central Primary School's weightlifting training conditions have gradually improved. In 2003, it was listed as a key project training site in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In 2004, Wutong Town was hailed as the "Hometown of Weightlifting in China" by the State Sports General Administration.
Nowadays, in the weight building of Wutong Central Primary School, training equipment such as barbells, discus, and cushions are all available, which is in sharp contrast with the stone poles, stone locks, and rusty old-fashioned barbells displayed on the side.
This weightlifting building opened in 2011 integrates training, fitness, accommodation, multimedia teaching, small and medium-sized weightlifting competitions and other functions. It has 17 training belts and can accommodate 60 students for training at the same time.
Tang Yungui, who has long since retired, still lives in school. This seventy-year-old man who has won the World Champion Enlightenment Award and enjoys special allowance from the State Council is still concerned about weightlifting. He said that next semester starts, he also plans to find weightlifting seedlings in the village elementary school. .
According to statistics, the weightlifting team of Wutong Central Primary School has delivered a large number of weightlifting talents since its establishment, including 15 national athletes, 50 national first-level athletes, and 75 national second-level athletes. They have been awarded by the Chinese Weightlifting Association. Awarded as a national high-level reserve talent training base.
Saying goodbye to his career as an athlete, Xiao Jiangang became a weightlifting coach and is now the deputy director of the Guangxi Heavy Sports Development Center.
Xiao Jiangang said that their family has an indissoluble bond with weightlifting. His uncle Xiao Minglin's son Xiao Jinwei is now also a weightlifter.
In the just-concluded 2021 Guangxi Youth Weightlifting Championships, Xiao Minglin’s son Xiao Jinwei, Shi Zhiyong’s Qin Yuqi and other young weightlifters began to emerge.
Xiao Shuanggui believes that under the guidance of generations of champions, there will be more "Hercules" in the "Hometown of Weightlifting".
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