A pool of blue waves, with an undercurrent surging. Before the starting platform, Xu Jiayu was here, in the same position, he had a moment of glory that was sharp, and he had endured the severe pain after the departure of his teacher, he had been questioned, and he had proved himself. Now, the past is like smoke gone, and in the pool of Quancheng, the athlete who has won the most medals in the Asian Games in the history of Chinese sports, is about to start another "entrepreneurial journey".
11 gold medals, this is Xu Jiayu's achievements in the past three Asian Games. In 2014, he won the gold medal in the 4 100m medley relay with his teammates in Incheon, competing in his first Asian Games. Four years later, in Jakarta, while working closely with his teammates, Xu Jiayu also began his own "personal performance", the men's 50 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters backstroke championships all fell into his pocket, plus the men's and women's 4 100 meters, men's 4 100 meters medley relay two gold medals, a single Asian Games won 5 gold medals, since then he has the nickname of "hardware store owner". In Hangzhou in 2023, the "hardware store owner" will be open again, with the same project and the same results, Xu Jiayu issued the most powerful response to the doubters at the door of his home, "I'm so pretending, you can also pretend." ”
Xu Jiayu has enough proud capital. Since he dominated the national swimming championships in 2013, he has "dominated" the domestic backstroke lane for 10 years.
Talent is a condition that cannot be ignored on Xu Jiayu's way forward. His mother was a professional swimmer, his sister also Xi swimming, and the strong sports atmosphere of the family brought him into the swimming pool at the age of 3. "I used to swim but I didn't swim, so I wanted my wish to come true to my son. Many years later, Xu Jiayu's mother recalled the original intention of bringing her son into the swimming pool.
Mother's "careful thinking" was not in vain, and soon Xu Jiayu showed his talent in the swimming lane, although he entered the swimming team a year later than his peers, Xu Jiayu surpassed everyone in only half a year, and soon, he stood out in competitions at all levels.
Hard work is an important foundation for Xu Jiayu's continuous progress. "In my eyes, this kid has always been very hard, others train 100% hard, at least he practices until he has stomach cramps and vomits bile. Xu Jiayu's father commented on his son.
The father's understanding of his son comes from when he was a child, "When he was in Wenzhou Sports School, even if other children practiced crying, he didn't cry. He came back and told us, 'My tears are flowing down my stomach.'" Later, when he came to the provincial team, he would not tell us about some things in school, he was all self-digesting and adjusting, and he was reluctant to talk about swimming, and he had always had high requirements for himself. ”
As a result, in most glamorous moments, people will always see Xu Jiayu's pride and chic, and the hard work and dedication behind it may only be known to him.
If his mentor Xu Guoyi is still alive, maybe Xu Jiayu will have one more "bosom friend". Since entering the Zhejiang team at the age of 13, Xu Guoyi is the most direct witness to Xu Jiayu's growth. For Xu Jiayu, who was still a child at the time, the strictness of his teacher was the pillar of his professional attitude, he was smashed by the coach because he secretly played games, and he was also concerned by the coach in all aspects of life.
On July 19, 2020, Xu Guoyi passed away in Beijing at the age of 50. The sudden death of the master caused a lot of blows to Xu Jiayu. Although his position in the National Games is unshakable, on the stage of the Olympic Games and the World Championships, it has always been difficult to break through the confrontation with domestic first-class players. Xu Jiayu, who suffered setbacks, was questioned again and again and denied. In the new preparation cycle, is he still the first Chinese backstroke?
The results are the best response given by Xu Jiayu. In the national championships in May this year, Xu Jiayu monopolized the gold medal in three men's backstroke events. At the World Championships in Fukuoka, he teamed up with Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei and Cheng Yujie to win the men's and women's 4 100m medley relay championships. In the individual event, Xu Jiayu won the gold medal in the men's 50m backstroke and reached the men's 100m final as the only Asian athlete.
Always believe in the understanding of an Olympic champion, even though I am not. On September 27, Xu Jiayu wrote on his personal Weibo. That night, he won the gold medal in the men's and women's 4 100m medley relay at the Hangzhou Asian Games with Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei and Yang Junxuan, and broke the Asian record with a time of 3:37.73. It is worth mentioning that this result is only 015 seconds.
Xu Jiayu is still fighting, and in Jinan this winter, he will sprint to the World Championships in Doha and the Paris Olympics with his teammates. The "hardware shop owner" at the Asian Games started his business again, aiming for an Olympic gold medal, and there may still be setbacks in the future, but now he has learned to be at ease.
The backstroker can't see the finish line, but he can see the sky. Above Xu Jiayu's line of sight, the sky of dreams is still blue.
Xu Jiayu signed up for the individual project:
Men's 400m freestyle on December 10.
Men's 100m backstroke on December 11.
9:30 a.m. preliminaries and 7 p.m. finals).
How to purchase tickets
1.Buy tickets online
a.WeChat search applet "Love Sports":Click on the home page - 2023 National Swimming Championships (preliminaries) 2023 National Swimming Championships (finals) - select specifications (** area) Buy now - enter name and ID number - submit order - payment successful - my order to view the ticket purchase information.
b.New Yellow River client: Click "My", select the applet "One-click Ticket Purchase", and then enter the ticket purchase page to purchase tickets.
c.Meituan cat's eye: Select the 2023 National Swimming Championships through the Maoyan app, Maoyan movie performance and play WeChat mini program, Meituan, Dianping, and Guevara app to purchase tickets.
d.Barley app:Select the 2023 National Swimming Championships through the Damai app to purchase tickets.
2.Offline ticket purchase locations and **
a.Jinan Olympic Sports Center Natatorium Ticket Office
b.The pho house on the south side of the spring mark in Quancheng Square.
c.Jinan Newspaper Building, Lashanhe West Road, Huaiyin District, Jinan City.
3.Group tickets (more than 50 people).
Inquiry**: 67976622
4.Ticket sales hours
Online ticketing hours: 10:00 on November 29, 2023 to 18:00 on December 15, 2023
Offline ticketing time: 10:00 on December 1, 2023 to 18:00 on December 15, 2023
Reporter: Hou Chao Editor: Hou Chao Comprehensive Editor: Yao Zheng American Editor: Qiu Xiaobo Proofreader: Gao Xin