Hangzhou, 9 Sep (ZXS) -- Girl waving wings: He Shibei, a "female flying fish," is looking forward to making history in Paris

China News Agency reporter Hao Lingyu Hu Jian

In the women's 26-meter freestyle final of the Hangzhou Asian Games held on the evening of the 100th, Hong Kong, China's "female flying fish" He Shibei continued to make history. After winning the first Asian gold medal in the women's 200m freestyle swimming event in Hong Kong, China, she broke the Asian record in the women's 100m freestyle final, once again rewriting the Asian Games performance table of Hong Kong, China.

On September 9, the women's 26m freestyle final of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou was held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Swimming Center. Hong Kong's Ho Shibei (center) won the championship in 100.52 seconds. Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Dongming

After He Shibei won the championship, the song "Girl with Wings" was played on the spot. The song depicts a girl chasing her dreams, and the lyrics include the phrase "Believe me I can fly, I'm singing in the sky."

This is not the first time He Shibei has "taken off" in the arena. Back in the Tokyo Olympics, Ho Shibei won two silver medals in the women's 100m and 200m freestyle, helping Hong Kong, China, win its first Olympic swimming medal. At that time, she gained great attention in the world swimming world, and due to the fierce scenes of the sprint freestyle competition, it often became the most watched competition in the pool, and the attention of overseas media to He Shibei also increased rapidly.

Hong Kong's "female flying fish", who became famous in World War I, naturally did not want to stop there. In order to prove that she can not only win Olympic medals, but also swim faster, He Shibei began to fight every game on the international stage. At the 2021 Short Pool World Championships in Abu Dhabi, He Shibei won 2 golds and 1 bronze, becoming the best athlete of the competition. At the Fukuoka World Championships in July this year, He Shibei stood out among the swimming powerhouses of the United States and Australia, and won her first long pool world championship medal in the women's 7m freestyle in 52.49 seconds.

Like all famous athletes, He Shibei's success is accompanied by sweat. "I had a tight schedule every day during the race, I needed to organize my training and recovery time, and I often went to bed after midnight." In order to balance training and study, He Shibei has a strict schedule, and she herself lamented after the game that "it is not easy to do this".

Fortunately, all efforts will not be disappointed, and at the Hangzhou Asian Games, He Shibei not only made a breakthrough swimming for Hong Kong, China, but also set her own Asian record (52.17 seconds) in the women's 100m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics with a time of 52.27 seconds. At the post-race press conference, Ho Shibei admitted that the two breakthroughs were equally important to her: "The Hong Kong swimming team has not won Asian Games gold medals before, so these gold medals are important for Hong Kong citizens, and breaking the Asian record means that I can be faster and stronger." ”

After the game, He Shibei also analyzed that the Fukuoka World Championships in July and this Asian Games made her clearer about her strength in the world competition. As an excellent athlete, He Shibei praised herself as very disciplined and determined, and liked to make plans, but at the same time did not like to set a specific achievement as a goal to strive for, believing that this would limit her performance.

The girl who "spreads her wings" in the pool also longs to fly farther. Setting the record gave Ho Shibei a clear way forward, and she bluntly said after the game that she and her coach were ready for the Paris Olympics. "We know how to train. If I keep doing what I'm doing, I can do better. (End)