Beijing, June 6 (Reporter Du Yan) Xu Mengtao, Beijing Winter Olympic champion and 18 doctoral student of Beijing Sport University, graduated.
On June 6, the 18 graduation ceremony of Beijing Sport University was held. Xu Mengtao, representative of the graduate champion class and the class of 2023, spoke on behalf of the graduate students. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yi Haifei
On June 6, the 18 graduation ceremony of Beijing Sport University was held. Xu Mengtao, as the representative of the graduate champion class and the class of 2023, spoke at the graduation ceremony: "In my 2023 years of sports career, I have experienced injuries and setbacks, as well as the bitterness and loss of unsatisfactory results. I think what ultimately brought me to the pinnacle of competition was the fighting spirit of sports people who never give up and their unremitting efforts to surpass themselves. ”
Practicing gymnastics since he was more than 4 years old, Xu Mengtao began to emerge at the age of 12, winning 3 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 1 bronze medal. As she grew taller, she was no longer suitable for gymnastics and switched to freestyle skiing aerials.
Freestyle skiing aerials began in the early 20th century. It was included as an exhibition event at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, and an official event at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
China began freestyle skiing aerials in 1989, one of the earliest starts in ice and snow sports in China. Over the past three decades, projects have evolved from weak projects in a blank state to strong projects in China.
On June 6, the 18 graduation ceremony of Beijing Sport University was held. Xu Mengtao was awarded a doctoral degree certificate from Beijing Sport University. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yi Haifei
Freestyle skiing aerials is known as the "adventurer's game" and requires doing difficult tumbling in the air. If you want to get a high score, you must "have the right time, place, and people". Xu Mengtao walked all the way with love and dreams.
She has witnessed the project's leapfrog development in China while growing continuously. So far, Xu Mengtao has won a total of 55 freestyle skiing aerials world championships.
However, she also experienced distress and loss. Before the Beijing Winter Olympics, the freestyle skiing Chinese aerials women's team won five silver medals and two bronze medals in the past six Winter Olympics, missing only one gold medal. From Vancouver to Sochi, from Pyeongchang to Beijing, she competed in four Winter Olympics and passed gold medals three times. Especially at the 6 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, a fatal mistake led her to the idea of retiring after the competition.
Gradually getting older, coupled with the removal of nearly 70% of the lateral meniscus of her left knee and 3 steel nails in her knee, she received a huge impact on her leg when she jumped from the high platform and landed on the ground.
On June 6, the 18 graduation ceremony of Beijing Sport University was held. The picture shows Xu Mengtao attending the graduation ceremony. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yi Haifei
Her love and dreams brought her to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. In the final, Xu Mengtao, who has passed her long years, directly challenged the top difficulty of the women's competition. Xu Mengtao won the first place with the highest score of 108.61. She asked on the field, "Am I number one?" After receiving affirmation, he excitedly shouted "We won". This scene is moving.
"The gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics is a dream come true that spans 16 years with four Olympic Games. Wearing the national flag, I won my fifty-fifth world title, my first Olympic gold medal and the Grand Slam of my career. Speaking of the glory moment again, Xu Mengtao told the China News Agency reporter, "The Beijing Winter Olympics was more excited, and my heart was expressing the surprise at the moment when I built my dream, pursued my dream, and finally fulfilled my dream." ”
This Winter Olympic gold medal is also the first Winter Olympic gold medal for the Chinese women's freestyle skiing aerials team.
"I want to have Chinese name written in this project." She said that when she first practiced aerial skills at the age of 12, she planted the dream of winning glory for the country.
Walking on campus, from time to time, teachers and students hope to take photos with the Winter Olympic champions, Xu Mengtao always smiles and responds to requests.
When asked if there have been times over the years when you want to give up? She admits that there must have been, "but I give dreams a lot of meaning." The dream is there, what specific method to use to achieve it, how to break through yourself in the face of difficulties and setbacks, continue to move forward, if you give the dream a deeper and deeper meaning, it will definitely make the pace of progress full of motivation. ”
On June 6, the 18 graduation ceremony of Beijing Sport University was held. The picture shows Xu Mengtao and her husband Wang Xindi taking a group photo together. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yi Haifei
Today, Xu Mengtao is also "complete" in her studies. What are your plans for the future? Xu Mengtao hopes to use the professional skills cultivated by the country and his own experience to repay the sports cause.
She said she is currently actively preparing for the Milan Winter Olympics. However, as we get older, the road ahead becomes more challenging and difficult.
"The death of the peach, the scorching brilliance, the glow of the dream, the truth." What will this optimistic and uplifting girl gain from her fifth trip to the Winter Olympics?
"As long as I can stand on the Milan Winter Olympics and show my best self, I can do it." Xu Mengtao said that the most important thing is to continue to extend the life of sports and devote love to the promotion and development of ice and snow sports. (End)