Re-starting in Rio, they reunited with the Olympic gold medal after a long separation
Beijing, August 19 (Xinhua)-It is reported that the four-year Olympic Games put forward high requirements for athletes to maintain their competitive state, and defending their titles can be said to be a very difficult challenge. Although some athletes missed defending their titles, they did not give up, persisted in training and fighting, and staged a "reunion after a long separation" with the Olympic gold medal.
[Sixteen years later, he won back the gold medal he sold]
Anthony Ervin, 35, is the oldest swimmer on the American swimming team. In 2000, when he was only 19 years old, he won the gold medal in the 50m freestyle and the silver medal in the 4X100 freestyle relay at the Sydney Olympic Games. At that time, he was regarded as a rising star of hope in Ran Ran.
However, in 2003, Owen suddenly announced his retirement and completely disappeared from the swimming world. In 2005, Owen auctioned off his Olympic gold medal on Ebay, and donated $17,000 from the auction to the survivors of the Indonesian tsunami.
On August 12th, local time, in the men’s 50m freestyle final of Rio Olympic Games, American veteran Owen won the championship in 21.40 seconds. Zhongxin.com reporter Futian photo
In the eight years after retiring, Owen tried many different lifestyles, from meditation to joining a rock band. He even fell into the mire of depression, got involved in a dangerous motorcycle accident and tried to commit suicide. He no longer tells others that he was a swimmer and an Olympic champion. In this way, Owen missed the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
However, in 2008, he began to get better slowly, returned to school, and taught children to swim in swimming training camp. In 2011, Owen resumed swimming training for the competition. At the London Olympics, he won the fifth place. In 2016, the 35-year-old Owen was re-elected to the US Olympic swimming team and won gold medals in the 50m freestyle and 4X100 freestyle relay. Owen said that part of him wanted to know if he could win the medal back, and he finally did.
[Crossing the low tide and mistakes, Lin Yue reappears perfect performance]
Lin Yue was just 17 years old when he won the men’s synchronized 10m platform championship with his partner Huo Liang at the Beijing Olympic Games. However, after the peak in 2008, what awaits him is a few years full of ups and downs and struggles. On the one hand, he is still growing up, but he has to control his diet and insist on a lot of exercise training, which is very painful. On the other hand, the shadow of injury is also lingering.
At the 2012 London Olympic Games, Lin Yue did not participate in the synchronized 10m platform competition, but in the single 10m platform diving, he made a mistake in the fourth jump and lost the chance to win the gold medal, and finally only ranked sixth.
On August 8th, local time, in the men’s synchronized 10m platform final of Rio Olympic Games, China’s Lin Yue/Chen Aisen took the lead all the way and won the championship with a huge advantage. China also won the championship for four consecutive times. The picture shows Lin Yue (right)/Chen Aisen waving to the audience. Zhongxin.com reporter Du Yangshe
Once brilliant and ups and downs in recent years, Lin Yue has a mature temperament. After gritting his teeth to overcome this imperfect trough, Lin Yue set off again in Rio in 2016. In the early morning of August 9, Beijing time, he and his partner Chen Aisen performed perfectly in the final of the men’s synchronized 10m platform in Rio Olympic Games, winning the championship with a total score of 496.98.
Recalling the difficulties, Lin Yue said, "Fortunately, I persisted, and now I feel great."
[Winning the championship after 8 years, Long Qingquan’s "Return of the King"]
Long Qingquan, a weightlifter, also became famous at a young age. When he was under 18, he won the men’s 56kg champion at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and was praised as another weightlifting prodigy after Turkish Mutlu. However, he was in the doldrums, lost to Wu Jingbiao in the championship and missed the qualification for the London Olympics.
On August 7th, local time, the men’s 56kg weightlifting competition was held in Rio Olympic Games, and Long Qingquan of China, the champion of this event in Beijing Olympic Games, broke the world record and won the gold medal again. The picture shows Long Qingquan lifting the barbell. Zhongxin.com reporter Futian photo
After a lapse of eight years, Long Qingquan reached the summit again in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He won the championship with a snatch of 137kg, a clean and jerk of 170kg, and a total score of 307kg, which broke the four-year unbeaten golden body of North Korean Yan Runzhe. More importantly, Long Qingquan also broke the world record of 305kg held by Mutlu for 16 years, and realized his former oath of surpassing idols.
After the game, Long Qingquan said, "After winning the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, I had more ideas, but it stopped me. Now, my heart is calm again and I come to Rio with the mentality of fighting my opponent. " Being a father makes Long Qingquan feel more responsible, and his hard work is also to set an example for his son.
[From singles to doubles, Nadal’s road to gold medal]
At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Nadal, the "king of red clay", won his first Olympic gold medal, which was an essential step for golden slam. By the 2012 London Olympics, Nadal, who was troubled by a knee injury, was forced to retire and missed defending his title.
Before the Rio Olympics, Nadal was in poor health. He was suspended due to a wrist injury, and he withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon successively, and his world ranking also declined. However, Nadal’s love for the Olympic Games made him insist on participating in the Rio Olympics. He said: "I will do my best in all projects. The only thing I can say is that I will do my best. No one can take away my enthusiasm for the Olympic Games, and no one can change my will to win medals. "
On August 12th, local time, the men’s tennis doubles in Rio 2016 Olympic Games decided to win the gold medal. The Spanish team Nadal /M- Lopez defeated the Romanian team Meguia/Tekau 2-1 to win the championship.
Although he came to Rio as the flag bearer of the Spanish delegation, Nadal, who played both singles and doubles, was not the favourite to win the championship. In the men’s singles semi-final, he struggled for three sets and missed the final, and lost to Japanese player Nishikori Kei in the bronze medal battle. However, in the men’s doubles competition, Nadal’s combination with M Lopez created a surprise, beating the best players from all over the world to win the gold medal. For Nadal who has just returned from injury, this performance is bright enough. (End)