China News Service Client, Beijing, June 3 (Reporter Xing Rui) It is the Dragon Boat Festival again in a blink of an eye.
As one of the traditional Chinese festivals, the festivals of the Dragon Boat Festival are colorful and lively.
Among them, the most interesting and ornamental activity is the "Dragon Boat Race".
There are many different theories about the origin of dragon boats, the most widely circulated is to commemorate the poet Qu Yuan of Chu State.
Zhang Jianfeng, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, once described the spectacular scene of dragon boat racing in "Song of Racing": "The red flag opened three times with the sound of a drum, and two dragons jumped out of the floating water." On the
wide river surface, hundreds of boats competed for the current, like a dragon going out to sea; With the rumbling drums, the athletes ride the wind and waves and stand bravely.
Today, dragon boat racing is no longer a mere festival custom, but has become a competition for teamwork ability.
A few days ago, China-Singapore Sports had a dialogue with Zeng Delin, the world champion of dragon boat.
He said that
after a series of inheritance and innovation of dragon boat sports, dragon boat culture has long gone abroad and went to the world.
In the 2017 Dragon Boat World Championships, Zeng Delin and his teammates won the world championship honor.
In the next year's Asian Games in Jakarta, he accompanied the team to help the Chinese men's dragon boat win the "turnover" and won the gold medal for the first time in the event.
His family once "splashed cold water" on him and said
"
dragon boat rowing is useless", but he proved himself with one champion after another.
Today, Zeng Delin hopes that more people will know about dragon boats and fall in love with dragon boats.
He also looks forward to the day when dragon boating becomes an official Olympic sport, and athletes will have the opportunity to stand on a higher stage to win glory for the country.
Pictured is Zenderling.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
From custom to competition
China-Singapore Sports: Dragon boat racing is one of the traditional customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, and now it has become a competitive sport. Can you introduce the rules of dragon boat sports?
Zeng Delin: Dragon boat is a traditional Chinese water sport. Different competitions have different requirements for the number of rowers and the waterway.
Taking the Asian Games as an example, each team needs to have 1 drummer, 1 helmsman, 10 rowers, and 2 substitutes.
At the start of the dragon boat, there are 6 rotary referees to control the direction.
There are a total of 6 fairways in the arena, each of which is no less than 14 meters wide, and a buffer distance of 100 meters should be reserved behind the end of the fairway.
The drummer is in the bow and is mainly responsible for commanding supervision and issuing orders.
Remind the team members to concentrate when setting sail, and drive the team members to accelerate through the rhythm of drum beats when sprinting.
In general, the start and sprint drum frequencies are tighter, and the drum frequency varies from team to team.
With the helmsman at the stern, keep the boat as straight as possible and do not yaw, otherwise it will affect the forward speed.
Pictured is Zenderling.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
China-Singapore Sports: Is the drummer's job easier than the rower's?
Zeng Delin: The drummer's job is not easy. He not only needs to concentrate on playing the drums, but also think about how to use tactics and communicate with the rower.
There is no requirement that a drummer must be able to row a boat,
but the drummer should control his weight within 100 pounds, and at most 100 pounds. If it is too heavy, it will cause a burden on the boat.
Of course, rowers also need to control their weight.
In order to maintain the balance of the boat, the body weights of the athletes on both ends should be as consistent as possible.
China-Singapore Sports: The dragon boat is relatively narrow in appearance. Is there any mystery in this design?
Zeng Delin: The domestic dragon boats are narrower in design, with smaller draft and less resistance.
Dragon boats used in international competitions will be slightly wider, because foreign players are generally bigger, and if they are too narrow, they will not be able to row.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
From kayak to dragon boat
China-Singapore Sports: How did you come into contact with Dragon Boat? What do you think of dragon boating?
Zeng Delin: My hometown holds dragon boat races every year on the Dragon Boat Festival.
Both the old and the young love this sport.
When I was young, I watched adults paddle, and at that time I thought I could try it anytime.
The charm of dragon boat is that everyone can unite to fight for victory and enjoy the game.
Especially through hard work to win the game, you will feel a sense of collective honor and achievement.
China-Singapore Sports: Why did you choose to engage in dragon boat sports? Have you ever thought of one day representing your country in competitions?
Zeng Delin: I practiced kayak slalom before, but the competition in this event was relatively high, and it was difficult to achieve results. Later, I switched to dragon boat training.
My family disagreed when I switched programs. They wanted me to concentrate on my studies.
My father also said that dragon boating is not very promising.
But my teammates have been encouraging me, and I'd love to go.
If I hadn't persevered at that time, I wouldn't be where I am today.
I am very honored and excited to participate in the Asian Games in Jakarta.
My family has also been cheering for me in front of the TV. At that time, we won the first gold medal of the Chinese men's team in this event after we won the dragon boat and entered the Asian Games. I also proved myself to everyone.
China-Singapore Sports: When the national team has competition tasks, how to select athletes?
Zeng Delin: We need to compete for the opportunity to play for our country through the Dragon Boat Club Trials.
Taking the Asian Games as an example,
each club must first select 14 players from the team, and then form a team to participate in the trials. The winning team will represent the country in the Asian Games
.
The national team selected in this way has a higher tacit understanding and saves time for running in.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
China-Singapore Sports: The postponement of the Hangzhou Asian Games will affect you?
Zeng Delin: For athletes, there is a lot of pressure right now.
Before the announcement of the postponement of the Asian Games, many clubs were in a state of preparation for the trials.
The club I belong to is very strong and has a high probability of winning. I have also passed the selection within the team.
However, after the postponement of the Asian Games, if the current state of competition cannot be maintained, they will also be eliminated.
From the Asian Games to the Olympics
China-Singapore Sports:
Apart from China, which countries and regions have more extensive dragon boat sports?
Zeng Delin:
The dragon boat sports in Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand are developing very well.
The strength of the Chinese Taipei team is also very strong. In the 2018 Asian Games, they also performed well in the dragon boat event.
Zenderling in training.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
China-Singapore Sports: If you can participate in the Hangzhou Asian Games, what are your goals?
What do you think of the official entry of dragon boat into the Olympics?
Zeng Delin: The last time I participated in the Asian Games was four years ago. I hope to show myself on the stage of the Hangzhou Asian Games.
If I can win a few more gold medals, it will be my dream come true.
I want to convey the charm of dragon boat to more people and let more young people participate in this sport.
It is the dream of every dragon boat athlete to enter the Olympic Games, and we also look forward to standing on a higher stage to win glory for the country.
(Finish)