Nagoya Asian Games Judo Men's 60kg Class: Yang Yongwei missed the medal and will prepare for the World Championships

Yang Yongwei (in blue) lost and missed the medal. (Photo by special correspondent Chen Zhiqu)

[Special Correspondent Wu Mengru/Nagoya Report] Yang Yongwei, the "judo male god" who was looking forward to winning medals, lost the bronze medal in the men's 60kg judo class at the Nagoya Asian Games. He missed the chance to complete the consecutive championships and failed to stand on the podium for three consecutive years. The bitter defeat made it difficult for him to digest, but he will regain his mood as soon as possible to prepare for the next Judo World Championships and learn from his role model "weightlifting goddess" Guo Meichun.

Guo Meuchun, who has been troubled by injuries, can continue to surpass himself in international competitions, which has inspired many athletes. Yang Yongwei also mentioned that he was also inspired by her in this Asian Games. He said before the game, "Guo Meuchun has always been my learner when facing injuries." She is an example to follow. Every time I have a physical condition, she always gives me good advice. I hope that this Asian Games can perform as well as she expected, and the most important thing is to finish the game safely. After all, her presence on the court gives me a sense of stability and inspiration."

Yang Yongwei revealed that he also watched Guo Minachun's recent weightlifting competition in the 61kg class, and was deeply impressed by her eyes when she lifted the barbell in the last lift. In fact, the two would share each other's status before the game. "She would share her process and mood because she knew how hard she worked, so she felt that she was a role model and wanted to work hard with her."

Tomorrow Yang Yongwei will fly to Azerbaijan with Lin Jinhao to compete in the World Judo Championships. He said that it may be difficult to change his mood at the moment. What he has to do at this stage is to take good care of his physical condition, and also to find his own problems in each competition and adjust from them.