Chapter 27 END: End?starting point!

When I stood on the podium of the 10-meter platform champion of the National Games, looked down at the gold medal and flowers in front of me, and looked around at the audience waving their arms in the distance, listening to the applause from the auditorium, It's strange that I didn't feel intoxicated at all, but just saw the road leading to the Beijing Olympics... At that moment, I determined the direction of my efforts for the next few years-the National Games is not the end, but the road to the Beijing Olympics a starting point of . －－－Tian Liang After the National Games, my teammates and I returned to Xi'an with an individual gold medal and a team bronze medal.It’s only been 10 days since I’ve been away, but the vegetation here is still there, and the smiling faces of the leaders, teammates, and teachers in the cafeteria are all so familiar and friendly; but when I saw the diving hall where I have been training for four months, and my simple small room, Suddenly there is a strange feeling.Is this where I prepare for the National Games? !Here I survived the most difficult and monotonous period of my life so far.If God gave me another chance, would I still choose to persevere?

Time can change everything, including a person's state of mind. A few teammates were training. When they saw us from afar, they rushed over, excitedly called Brother Tian Liang, surrounded me and asked this and that, their eyes full of longing and curiosity.I understand their state of mind at this time, I also came from that time, and I know what kind of mood it is: I just admire you from the bottom of my heart.It's not because of a few games, but because everyone is training in the same pool, and they know each other's level.Everyone expresses admiration and recognition for your training level, that is the real recognition.

Looking at them, I suddenly felt a sense of relief, a relief that only comes after giving. A few years ago, the poet Wang Guozhen once wrote: I don't think about whether I can succeed. Since I have chosen a distant place, I only care about both wind and rain.Now, I think of the favorite song of the Chinese women's volleyball girls: "The Sunshine Always After the Storm". After experiencing so many setbacks and turmoil, the diving finals of the National Games held from September 27th to October 5th became my "rainbow" in 2005. To be honest, although I told the media that I wanted to jump to 2008 after the Athens Olympics, I still don't know how to realize this dream and how to maintain my status. I am also full of doubts about the future plan?Where do I go from here?Is it time to retire?What else can I do besides diving?There are still four years between now and 2008, can I persist until then?

During those days of swinging from side to side and hesitating in thinking, I was exposed to many new things that I had never been exposed to in the past 10 years or so.I am a person who is good at learning new things. I have enjoyed a relaxing vacation that I have never had before, and the excitement and helplessness of the "outside world".But just when I couldn't make up my mind, reality helped me make a choice. Later, a series of things happened to me, although a bit cruel and unexpected, but enough to last a lifetime.I suddenly realized that people have to learn to mature and grow up.No matter what you do, you don't like to be tough.

As if overnight, I became mature and sober.It can be said that it was those blows like the head string that made me understand: at least until now, my life is still inseparable from that pool of clear water and the 1.7 seconds on stage that condensed my energy and emotions throughout my life. I still want to keep jumping! So, in Xi'an, under that difficult environment and tremendous pressure, I practiced desperately.I also grew a beard once, and people thought I was being cool, but I knew that I didn’t have the time to take care of it.However, I feel like I am walking on the way to the diving hall every day with the mentality of an office worker going to play, and I feel like I have returned to the boy who was focused on overcoming the difficulty.

It is said that among the buzzwords this year are "Super Girl", which is popular in China, and a classic line "Sing as you want".I'm not an entertainment star, but I don't mind "performing" on the 10-meter platform; in order to capture a few wonderful moments, I have spent more than 10 years of kung fu training to my current level.I don't mind spending a few more years practicing hard. When I have the ability, "jump as much as I want", just to realize the dream of the Beijing Olympics. However, I don't like the word PK that is widely used with "Supergirl".In particular, many people define the men's 10-meter platform competition in the National Games as a PK between me and Hu Jia.In fact, this is just a game, like any game I have participated in before, without so much far-fetched meaning.

But I have confidence!I believe that the life experience and efficient training in the past six months can help me win!It's not about winning over your opponent, it's about winning over yourself and dancing beautifully!I am confident because, from 1998 to the present, in the national competitions, as long as I participate in the men's 10-meter platform, I have never lost a gold medal! In 1994, I won the national championship for the first time. In the Shanghai National Games in 1997, it was the last time I did not win a gold medal. At that time, Sun Shuwei was the first and I was the second.The domestic competition is as fierce as the Olympic Games, and it is very difficult to win the championship. Even the legendary Fu Mingxia has only won the national championship once in her sports career.The national competition is held twice a year, except for the occasional Olympic Games, the national team

Except for the members who do not participate in the competition, I have participated in other times, and the gold medal has never been replaced by others. With this mentality, I flew to Nanjing.I was surprised by the popularity of the local media and audience.Whether it was the Huajiang Hotel where we stayed, or the swimming and diving hall of the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center, there were reporters and spectators everywhere.Although I didn't accept any interviews before the game, articles like "Liang Jingjing reunites" and "Liang Jingjing lives in the same hotel" are still flying all over the sky.I don't want to turn against the media, but after all it's their job to do the interview, just like it's my job to do the game.I really hope that before this competition, my mind can be calmer.Moreover, the team has a clear rule that they are not allowed to be interviewed by reporters.

In addition, several groups of "bright fans" spontaneously organized and rushed to Nanjing from all over the country to help me in the battle, which made me very touched!The phalanx formed by them is my motivation, and it also brings me a lot of pressure, which makes me worry about gains and losses, for fear of disappointing them.Originally, I just wanted to do my best to dance well, but since I heard that they were coming, I always glanced at them before stepping on the platform, and I also cared about their reactions after dancing.After so many twists and turns, I understand the value of friendship!

In addition to those external pressures, some internal emotions are also controlling my thinking.These ever-present emotions make me have to be cautious. First of all, as a large province in the west, Shaanxi has the ability to compete for gold medals in the National Games. There are not many events.Although the overall level of the Shaanxi diving team has improved compared to before, some young players have no experience in competitions. As the big brother, I have to fight in three fronts in team, pair and single competitions.Shaanxi has nurtured me, and there are not many opportunities for me to give back here as an athlete.I can't damage the whole team because of my inadvertent performance, and let Shaanxi go home without money.Second, my pair partner in the team competition is Feng Qin, and we have not cooperated for many years; in the pair competition, I will join forces with Qin Kai, who originally specializes in springboards. I have not cooperated with both partners for more than two months. Inevitably some haste.Third, the media is full of various predictions and gossip about the results of the game. Although they are non-existent, their psychological implications to people are self-evident.Especially the "PK battle" between me and my younger brother Hu Jia on National Day Eve was widely rumored in the media, as if a life-and-death revenge battle between me and Hu Jia was about to be staged.

So, I simply let myself suffer from "autism": After arriving in Nanjing, apart from taking the shuttle bus to the stadium, even though we lived in the downtown area of ​​Xinjiekou, I never stepped out of the hotel gate!If you want to eat snacks, you can call the name, and the team can buy them for everyone.Every day during training, competition, eating and sleeping, I chat with everyone, play video games, and read car magazines when I return to my room, but I don’t surf the Internet or read newspapers.Although I "sealed" to the reporter, my mouth was not idle. When I was free, I chatted with my teammates and chatted with Qin Kai, who was in the same room, except that it didn't involve the game. I'm not someone who hates stress, on the contrary, I love the feeling of challenging myself and finding control under pressure.The more pressure I have, the more I perform at a super level. In terms of mastery of the game, I admit that I am better than some young players.Years of experience in competitions has allowed me to find some established patterns for victory, which I call "field patterns": how to practice the day before the competition, and how to persist in special and difficult movements.Start warming up when the first team member is in the game, what to do when you are ahead, what to do when you are behind, how to control when the action is opened late, and how to enter the water if the action is opened early... I admit that I have not reached the level of proficiency and magic, but I enjoy it This feeling brings me joy. In the team competition on September 27, Feng Qin and I teamed up as a pair and lost 2.04 points in the 10-meter platform pair to Hu Jia and Luo Yutong, who represented Guangdong, and ranked second. In the end, the Shaanxi team won the match. Bronze medal in team competition.To be honest, standing on the podium with my teammates feels very good, and I am more happy than winning the gold medal individually, because many people have prepared for this jump for four years or even longer.All their life values ​​and pursuits are reflected in this team competition. After completing the task of the team competition, I felt a lot more relaxed, because after all, I have not participated in high-level competitions for nearly a year, and my valuable experience has not been worn out, but my consciousness has become stronger. Then came the 10-meter platform single final on October 1, which was repeatedly exaggerated and magnified by countless media.First of all, there is no PK between Hu Jia and I, it can be said that it is self-PK.Diving is a personal show of a player. There is no physical contact between the two parties, let alone direct confrontation.To be successful, you have to be in your own world and bring out the best in yourself .Secondly, this is a national competition, and there are countless masters, famous players and rookies who have the chance to aspire to the top.Competitive sports pay attention to winning and losing, but more emphasis is placed on who has played his best. Thinking about it now, if I had so many such and such thoughts at the time, maybe everyone would not have seen Tian Liang's classic performance in the 10th National Games. I had smooth sailing in the first two jumps of the final and narrowed the gap with the leader Hu Jia.Unexpectedly, in the third jump, I made a mistake in the "armstand backward three-week bend" 626B, and only got 75.60.Are we going to repeat the mistakes of the Athens Olympics? ! "No!" I shook my head to myself, and Zhang Lian also shook his head to me: "This action shouldn't be missed! Didn't we say before the game that no matter what the card is, you have to show your best level. In the next three actions you Just let go and dance, it is right to perform for the audience, so many people are watching you." Zhang Lian said this to me at the Sydney Olympic Games five years ago, and when he mentioned it again this time, it has a more enlightening effect. I let go of all my burdens and had no scruples. The fourth action scored 101.52, the highest score in the game, and several referees showed 10 points!This is the score I haven't seen in a year!The full score of 10 shown by the referee is an affirmation of the athletes' instantaneous movements, which cannot be seen as clearly as in slow motion on TV.But this high score really boosted my morale. Unexpectedly, Hu Jia, who was originally leading, made a big mistake in the fifth jump of 307c "three and a half weeks of knee tuck", and only scored 76.50 points.Later, I heard from a friend that the TV broadcast at that time deliberately pointed the camera at me and Zhang Lian who were on the sidelines.We in the camera did not have any expression changes, without any body language and communication, just calmly watching the rankings after the first five rounds of actions flashing on the big screen in the distance. "Don't you feel lucky because of Hu Jia's mistake? Because he automatically withdrew from the championship contest. What were you thinking at that time?" Afterwards, many people asked me. I can honestly say that at that time, I was just immersed in my own world, silently thinking about my curtain call, and didn't take anything else into consideration.Because at that time I was only leading temporarily instead of winning the championship.The last jump is an action that is easy to make mistakes. I use my years of training level and competition experience to concentrate on thinking about my last jump. In addition, among our divers, we will only applaud our opponents and teammates for their beautiful movements, and we will never be happy because of other people's mistakes. That is not the true nature of an athlete, and there is no professional demeanor of a sportsman.I didn't know at the time that the TV cameras were quietly targeting us, but I believed that Chinese divers have always been like this no matter in domestic or foreign competitions! Before the sixth jump, I had a hunch that I could jump well.When I finished the action in one go and entered the water, my body told me that it was perfect!I couldn't wait to get to the surface of the water, and before I swam to the edge of the pool, I excitedly raised my index finger to the audience, "I am the first!" Turning my head to look at the big screen, the score was 96.90. Although Lin Yue and Hu Jia, who came out later, hadn't finished their moves yet, I knew that they couldn't surpass me if I scored more than 96 points in the last jump.As far as this game goes, my solo show did the trick! Standing on the championship podium, Li Minghua, director of the Shaanxi Sports Bureau, personally presented the award to me. Looking at her kind face, I feel so lucky: I can be a team member under such a good leader, and I can get support at any time and encouragement!In addition, as a veteran player, there are so many people looking forward to me, I am very glad that I did not let them down. I looked down at the gold medals and flowers in front of me, and looked around at the audience waving their arms in the distance. Listening to the applause from the audience, it was strange that I didn't feel intoxicated at all. I just saw the road leading to the Beijing Olympic Games. the way... At that moment, I determined the direction of my efforts for the next few years - the National Games is not the end, but a starting point leading to the Beijing Olympics. The question of whether to retire or pursue a career that once made me hesitant a year ago no longer exists.After all, in my life journey, the page of diving is still "present tense".If possible, I would like to work hard until 2008.After retiring, let’s leave it to the future to imagine. The most important thing is to grasp the present. I'm only 26 years old, not too old, I believe I still have room for improvement.Before 2008, I will live every day for the Beijing Olympics, and the 10-meter platform is still the stage I never tire of jumping!