Face to face丨How does Zhang Yufei, the Olympic swimming champion of two golds and two silvers, "break the cocoon and become a butterfly"?
After the Tokyo Olympics, 23-year-old Zhang Yufei returned to the motherland with two gold medals and two silver medals.
Zhang Yufei is the athlete who won the most medals for Chinese swimmers in a single Olympic Games, and is also the Chinese athlete who won the most medals for this Olympic Games.
Young fame and high talent
Outstanding results are the result of talent and hard work.
During the interview, Zhang Yufei did not reject the idea that he is talented.
Zhang Yufei:
Swimmers need to go into the water every day to maintain a sense of water.
We all said that we can’t leave the water for three days, because if we don’t enter the water for three days, we won’t be able to catch the water again, and it feels like the water has slipped through our fingers.
But I didn't go into the water for two weeks, and then I still feel watery when I go into the water, and I can still swim fast.
Zhang Yufei's talent is more than this. Her body is very resistant to exercise and recovers very quickly after strenuous exercise.
This means that under the same training time, her training volume and training intensity are much higher than others.
Zhang Yufei:
Usually when everyone says that you are tired, I think I can hold on for a while and swim for a while.
Speaking of talent, we have to mention Zhang Yufei's parents, who were born as swimmers.
When Zhang Yufei was 3 years old, they began to take Zhang Yufei to swim in the pool.
Zhang Yufei:
Participating in the provincial competition that year, the results were very good, so the coach of the provincial team took a fancy to it and entered the provincial team.
Later on the provincial team quiz, I got a very good result and was favored by the national team coach.
In 2015, the World Swimming Championships was held in Kazan, Russia. Zhang Yufei, just 17 years old, defeated many world players in the women's 200m butterfly final and finally reached the podium.
Zhang Yufei described this as "an unexpected joy".
Zhang Yufei:
Before I was 17 years old, I was just officially selected for the national team's single event list.
Then I wondered if I could get a bronze medal at the World Championships, and the result really came true.
Reporter:
What do you think is achieved?
Zhang Yufei:
Talent.
Before the age of 17, I always felt that I was a very lucky person. I could use a bit of strength to get very honors and achievements, and many things were easily obtained.
The first Olympic journey of a genius girl left bitterness
After winning the bronze medal at the Kazan World Championships, many people have high hopes for Zhang Yufei, a 17-year-old but talented girl, and believe that she will gradually become a leading figure in Chinese swimming.
In 2016, Zhang Yufei represented the Chinese team in the 200-meter butterfly event of the Rio Olympics.
Zhang Yufei swam into the women's 200m butterfly final, however, the final result was beyond everyone's expectations.
It was the sixth place to welcome this rising star.
After two or three years, Zhang Yufei never watched the video of that game again.
Zhang Yufei:
I have always had a video of the Rio Olympic finals on my phone, but I have not dared to open that video for two or three years.
At that time, I lost too badly, and I don't want to experience the mood at that time.
Reporter:
What happened at that time?
Zhang Yufei:
At that time, I didn't dared to rush forward. I didn't want to win the championship, and I didn't want to have good results. I just wanted to shrink back.
Throw away the previously learned technology
After the Rio Olympics, Zhang Yufei began to think about the relationship between talent and winning the championship, as well as what it takes to stand on the highest podium in addition to talent.
Zhang Yufei:
If compared with domestic players, I am really talented.
But if you want to reach the finals and top eight in world competitions like the Olympics, the comparison is not just talent, but who works harder, who does better details, and who has a higher overall level.
In December 2017, Zhang Yufei met Cui Dengrong, a coach who has extremely high requirements for technical details.
Cui Dengrong is a well-known technical coach who once brought out Lu Ying, a silver medalist in the women's 100m butterfly.
The first thing Cui Dengrong did was to instruct Zhang Yufei to change the technique.
For athletes, especially those who have become famous, changing technique is a big move with great risk and little effect in the short term.
Successful technical reforms can give athletes a qualitative leap in their athletic level. If they are unsuccessful, it will be counterproductive.
In April 2018, after following Cui Dengrong's technical training for nearly half a year, the two masters and apprentices ushered in the National Swimming Championships.
In this competition, Zhang Yufei's results did not advance and regressed, which was 5 seconds behind the previous National Games results.
The 20-year-old Zhang Yufei doubted herself for the first time.
Zhang Yufei: At
that time, because I just changed my technique, I couldn't swim as long as 200 meters, and my performance was not good, I wondered if I had come to the end of my sports career?
Am I already going downhill?
Am I dying?
This series of questions often revolved in Zhang Yufei's mind, and it was not until 2018 that this situation changed.
In the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Zhang Yufei withstood the pressure in the 200m butterfly finals and won the championship with a time of 2:06.67 and returned to his peak state.
It is not easy to stay on top.
Just a year later, in July 2019, in Gwangju, South Korea, at the 18th FINA World Championships, Zhang Yufei suffered another miserable defeat. The 100-meter butterfly failed to make the finals, and the 200-meter butterfly he was good at did not even enter the semi-finals.
Six months after the Gwangju World Championships, Zhang Yufei's 200-meter butterfly still did not improve, and the national championships and military games lost to opponents one after another.
"Zhang Yufei is not suitable to play in the World Series, he is afraid of being on the court..." The evaluation of the outside world began to affect this seemingly nervous girl.
A bold decision to change the future
In April 2020, under the premise that the Tokyo Olympics was postponed for one year, Cui Dengrong made a bold decision, not to participate in any 200-meter butterfly competition this year, and not to test any 200-meter butterfly results for a year, let Zhang Yufei focus on 100 meters. Butterfly stroke, first bring up confidence.
In September 2020, in the National Swimming Championships, Zhang Yufei soared into the sky. First, the 100-meter freestyle broke the national record that had been sealed for more than ten years, and then the 100-meter butterfly broke the Asian record, which was only 0.14 seconds away from the world record.
Finally, in the mixed relay, set a world record with teammates.
Reporter:
You rediscovered yourself. Did you explore it with Coach Cui, or Coach Cui knew you were the best and just told you how to get there?
Zhang Yufei:
He always knew that he had confidence in me, and he also followed the plan step by step, but when I walked in it, I didn’t know. When I accepted something unknown and tried something that I hadn’t tried, I was at a loss. Over.
The collision of water and fire
After the championship game, Cui Dengrong found Zhang Yufei and told her that the following training would still be carried out around the 200-meter butterfly stroke.
Their goal is still the gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly in the Tokyo Olympics.
Hearing this news, Zhang Yufei was not surprised, not because she knew that this was Cui Dengrong's plan, but because she believed in his decision and was willing to implement it.
It is not easy for Zhang Yufei and Cui Dengrong's relationship to get to this point.
Cui Dengrong is a perfectionist, pursuing the ultimate and perfection in details and technology.
Zhang Yufei is usually very carefree, and to put it bluntly, it is a character that doesn't matter when the sky falls.
The difference in personality makes two people with very stubborn tempers often create friction during training.
Zhang Yufei:
We are like the collision of water and fire. There will be a collision and quarrel every once in a while.
The most noisy time should be in the swimming pool. I was halfway through the swim and he was very angry and called me up.
At first I dared not speak. I thought he was the coach, but in the end I couldn't bear it. I quarreled with him in the swimming pool. Many eyes were looking at us. Afterwards, I felt that I was doing something wrong.
Reporter:
What was his reaction when you went to confront him?
Zhang Yufei:
He convinced me with theory.
When I was arguing with him, I didn’t feel that I was arguing as an athlete. It was more like arguing as a daughter. What I thought was that I’m already tired. It’s just fine if you coax me. Why are you arguing with him? I say so many reasons.
But he said, it is impossible for me to speak to you as a father in the arena, that's it.
Reporter:
How do you understand these quarrels between you?
Zhang Yufei:
I think it's a good thing. If you just listen to the coaches blindly, you won't be at the top level in the world.
I think athletes must have their own ideas. Of course, the coach is the main idea. We need to express our own ideas and discuss the most suitable method to help both of us improve together.
As she grows older, Zhang Yufei can already rationally view the friction between her and Cui Dengrong.
However, there was a "quiet" quarrel, and she was scared to think about it now.
In the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, the first day he won the 200-meter butterfly final, Zhang Yufei directly lost the silver medal of the Chinese team due to a foul in the women's mixed match on the second day. Cui Rongdeng said to Zhang Yufei in annoyance. "I don't want to take her again" cruel words.
Zhang Yufei:
Actually, he said this for a reason.
One is that he was too smug after seeing me win the championship, and he was very angry when he fouled the next day.
There is another one. In the 2014 Asian Games, my senior sister fouled the women's mixed connection. In 2018, I fouled the women's mixed connection. Both fouls were his disciples. He felt a bit sorry for everyone. Why did his disciples make mistakes? ?
At that time, after I heard what he said, I was very scared, so I went to the national team leader, and I said what to do. Guidance Cui didn't take me anymore?
Cui Dengrong did not "abandon" Zhang Yufei as he said. On the contrary, he helped Zhang Yufei usher in her personal best in the 200-meter butterfly.
On the first day of 2021, Zhang Yufei returned to the 200-meter butterfly swimming arena for more than 400 days.
At this time, she has washed away the feeling of failure on her body. She greatly improved her personal best with 2:05.49, which is also the world's best result in recent years.
"Thank you to Cui Xiao Nezha for finally fulfilling his Olympic dream"
Bringing out an Olympic champion is 52-year-old Cui Dengrong's long-time dream.
For Zhang Yufei, after repeated hopes and disappointments, winning the Olympic gold medal for Cui Dengrong has become her mission.
But winning gold in the Olympics is never easy, especially for a player who has lost in the Olympics.
In July 2021, Zhang Yufei stood on the stadium of the Tokyo Olympics.
She first won the silver medal in the women's 100-meter butterfly competition, and later won the gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly competition and broke the Olympic record.
Not only that, Zhang Yufei and his teammates won the Olympic Women's 4×200m freestyle relay gold medal and the 4×100m medley relay silver medal for the Chinese team.
On Weibo, Zhang Yufei publicly "confessed" to Cui Dengrong: "Thanks to Cui Cui for his'nagging' over the years. Little Nezha finally realized Tokyo's dream."
Zhang Yufei:
He is my Bole and noble person. He knows better than myself to what extent I can achieve. I may aim for myself to be the top three, so he wants me to win the championship; I am a champion for myself, and he wants me Break the world record.
Reporter:
Have you started planning for the Paris Olympics?
Zhang Yufei:
Not yet. He said that if I really want to plan the Paris Olympics, I must have my own ideas, and I don't have any ideas yet.
Because I have realized his biggest dream so far. If we participate in the Paris Olympics again, our goal should not be as simple as winning gold.
Reporter丨Wang Ning