China News Service, Tianjin, August 29th, Question: Zhang Ping: The Olympic champion gets the doctoral admission letter and the status change is inseparable from volleyball
Author Zhang Shaoxuan and Cui Jingsheng
On August 29, 2004, Zhang Ping stood on the top podium of the women's volleyball team at the Athens Olympics.
On August 29, 2022, Zhang Ping said: "I got a doctoral student offer from a well-known British university, and I'm going to report soon."
After winning the Olympic championship, Zhang Ping chose to study at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and obtained a master's degree.
Later, she became a physical education teacher, still inseparable from volleyball.
And today, when she's about to be a "student" again.
She said: "When a teenager is moved, he will always be moved. Along the way, my blood is always hot. Volleyball is what I am excited for. All my choices are to make volleyball move more people."
Zhang Ping is teaching the volleyball team of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen).
Photo courtesy of Zhang Ping
Be proud of China from a young age
Zhang Ping was born into a family of athletes. Her father, Zhang Jinggang, was a volleyball coach at the Sports School in Hexi District, Tianjin, as well as her volleyball enlightenment coach.
"Volleyball and I can be said to be a two-way choice, preferring each other." Inheriting the excellent physical qualities of her parents, Zhang Ping has been taller than children of her age since she was small, and her strength and physical coordination are also more prominent.
Since kindergarten, she has been in touch with volleyball, often holding the ball and not letting go.
Under the continuous training of her father, Zhang Ping entered the volleyball team of Tianjin Hexi District Central Primary School when she was in the third grade.
Since then, everyone on the volleyball court knows that there is a girl with great spiking power. Due to her hard training and outstanding personal characteristics, in 1998, Zhang Ping was selected for the Tianjin women's volleyball first team. In February 2002, she became a national member of the team.
When recalling the previous trip to Athens, Zhang Ping said that she was "accepted in danger and not disgraceful to the mission".
During the game, the "violent secondary attack" played to the fullest. Various tactics such as close-up fast, short-level fast, back-flying, back-slipping, and back-attacking were used alternately, making it impossible for the opponent to guard against.
In the Athens Olympics, Zhang Ping played all 8 games and scored a total of 114 points. The Olympic Committee volleyball officials at the time said that this was very rare in the secondary attack.
That year, the Chinese women's volleyball team won the Olympic championship again after a lapse of 20 years.
As a member of the golden generation, Zhang Ping was also named the best attacker at the Athens Olympics.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) volleyball team coached by Zhang Ping won the first place in the women's team of the 2022 Shenzhen University and Middle School Volleyball Competition.
Photo courtesy of Zhang Ping
It's never been smooth sailing
Maybe many people think that Zhang Ping has a smooth journey, but only she herself knows that the road is long and difficult.
"From the sports school to the Tianjin team to the national team, for me, it was a transition from a child to an adult. My father always told me to keep moving forward in everything and not give up easily."
"I have a strong personality, and I consider myself a very strong person. This may be related to the fact that the coaches I have encountered are all 'devil coaches', from my father to coach Wang Baoquan to Chen Zhong and coaches." After speaking, Zhang Ping Haha laughed, but there was a kind of gratitude and gratitude in his eyes.
When she first arrived in the national team, although Zhang Ping was a substitute, she was always meticulous in training with the main force, training for up to 10 hours a day.
It is this high level of teamwork and dedication that has created the spirit of the Chinese women's volleyball team to this day.
"Let me tell you, I still remember that in Suxianling, Chenzhou, Hunan, every weekend, Chen Zhong and his coach would organize the team members to climb the mountain within a limited time. If one person exceeds the time limit, the whole team climbs down the mountain again! I feel that we are 'supermen' with that intensity. "Although Zhang Ping seemed to complain about her past, she also said that these are her treasures.
"It is with these experiences that in the 2005 National Games, our Tianjin women's volleyball team won the championship, and that was also the peak of my athletic performance." Whether in the national team or the local team, Zhang Ping gained the trust and harmony among the players. Friendship also affects her life attitude and life choices in the future, making her more firm in her love for volleyball.
A recent photo of Zhang Ping.
Photo courtesy of Zhang Ping
What has changed is the heart of volleyball
As an athlete, Zhang Ping has reached the peak, and in her opinion, there is not the end, but the starting point.
She sees herself as an inheritor, so after retiring, she chose to enter university for further study.
In her opinion, in order to have a deeper understanding of sports and the spirit of sports, it is necessary to take a longer-term view and get in touch with a wider world.
"I hope to impart the spirit and life insights of the women's volleyball team I have learned to young people, so that they can overcome obstacles and have their own glory in their future life."
After retiring, Zhang Ping immersed herself in the sea of books, and was admitted to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, all the way to get a master's degree.
"I was studying sports science and physical education at the time, and I was the first to be admitted here as an Olympic champion. So far, I can speak some English, Cantonese, and Latin. We can't shame athletes."
After graduating from graduate school, Zhang Ping stayed at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) and became a physical education teacher.
Speaking of her experience as a teacher, Zhang Ping was full of smiles.
"Our team just won the first place in the women's team of the Shenzhen University and Middle School Volleyball Competition not long ago, which is happier than winning the championship myself."
Taking root in Xingtan, talking about her educational philosophy, Zhang Ping believes that it is more important for students to have the spirit of riding the wind and waves and moving forward bravely.
Outside of the classroom, she will discuss love issues with her students. When students encounter difficulties, she will enlighten her with her own personal experience.
She would say that the spirit of the women's volleyball team is "the motherland first, unity and cooperation, tenacious struggle, and never give up. But first, you have to be a person who makes you happy."
"I always tell my students that life is good enough, it's not just about standing out. Every difficulty you overcome, just like every ball we dunk, is a powerful one, and you can get the best results in your life. a point."
At the end of the interview, Zhang Ping excitedly told the reporter that she had already received an admission letter from a well-known British university, and her future phased goal was to study for a doctorate in sports medicine.
She hopes that she can help more people avoid injuries caused by incorrect sports methods in the future, so that people with sports dreams can avoid detours.
"Maybe I have more ambitious goals in the future, but now I'm back on campus and I feel very at ease."
This is Zhang Ping, a women's volleyball world champion who is about to become an international student, and who will continue to pursue sports in the future.
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