China News Service, Ningbo, October 4 (Zhang Yuhuan, Fang Jianbo) On October 4, the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games came to a close. When the Asian Games comes to an end again, behind each gold medal, the story of grassroots sports people passing on the fire is equally touching.
In the triathlon field of this Asian Games, Chinese player Lin Xinyu won the gold medal in the women's individual event and qualified for the Los Angeles Olympics. Later, she and her teammates won the mixed relay gold medal. Starting from a primary school swimming pool in Zhenhai, Ningbo, and standing on the highest podium in Asia, behind this road of pursuing dreams is a relay story of three generations of sports people.
When Lin Xinyu won the gold medal, thousands of miles away in Ningbo Zhenhai, her first coach Yu Zhefeng was standing in front of the screen to witness this highlight moment. Yu Zhefeng was once a boy by the swimming pool, and his guide was swimming coach Luo Ruifen. Three generations, one pool of clear water, completed a sports torch that spanned decades.
On September 20, local time, the women's individual finals of the triathlon at the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games were held. Chinese player Lin Xinyu won the gold medal in 57 minutes and 37 seconds. The picture shows Lin Xinyu (middle) entering the water during the swimming event. Photo by China News Service reporter Tomita
Bole, who walked out of the Moon Lake, takes root at the grassroots level and cultivates talents
Luo Ruifen's swimming career began in Ningbo Yuehu. Born in 1960, he loved playing by the water when he was young and developed agility in water. When she was 12 years old, she broke into district-level swimming competitions with a non-standard "dog paddle style" and went all the way to the provincial competition. Later, she was discovered by the coach of Ningbo Sports School and entered the provincial team to focus on the 200-meter breaststroke and medley. She ranked among the top three in national competitions many times.
After retiring in 1980, Luo Ruifen took up a coaching position and was responsible for the selection of swimming reserve talents in many places in Ningbo. At that time, the training conditions were simple and there was no fixed venue. She took her children to the Fenghua open-air swimming pool. After the summer training, she rested in the locker room at night. The environment was difficult, but she still imparted what she had learned on the provincial team to every youngster without reservation. In 1981, her first batch of students participated in the provincial swimming competition and won the first place in the women's B team. Many team members broke the provincial youth record.
When it comes to selecting materials, Luo Ruifen always insists on choosing less than too much. "I prefer that the position in the team be empty, and I cannot make up for it. I must be responsible for every child." In 1986, she defied all opinions and selected Le Ying, who did not have an advantage in height. The latter grew up to become a world championship and Asian Games champion. In 2000, she noticed a boy whose wingspan was 3 centimeters longer than his height, and then helped him lay a solid foundation for swimming. This young man is Wang Shun. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Wang Shun won the men's 200-meter individual medley gold medal, breaking the Asian record.
Luo Ruifen's coaching glory has not only enabled his students to compete in the Olympic Games. The seeds she planted have also taken root in the next generation of coaches.
Yu Zhefeng trains students. Photo courtesy of the Ningbo Municipal Committee of the Peasants and Workers’ Party
Taking over the baton at the poolside and sticking to the campus swimming pool for more than 20 years
Yu Zhefeng is Luo Ruifen's student. He followed in his teacher's footsteps and became a grassroots swimming coach. Since 2000, he has taken root in Luotuo Central School in Zhenhai District, Ningbo City and has been working in the campus swimming pool for more than 20 years.
In September 2008, 6-year-old Lin Xinyu was selected by Yu Zhefeng to join the school swimming team. The girl has coordinated movements and strong comprehension. Yu Zhefeng taught her the four swimming styles step by step, starting with holding her breath, floating, and kicking. During the summer vacation of her first grade, Lin Xinyu was afraid when she stepped into a large swimming pool for the first time. She cried by the pool and did not dare to enter the water. Yu Zhefeng did not urge her, but patiently encouraged her until she mustered up the courage to jump into the water.
In 2014, Lin Xinyu was selected for the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Team, then transitioned to triathlon, and entered the national team in 2019. The two gold medals won at this year's Asian Games are the best feedback this disciple can give to his enlightenment coach.
Taking root at the grassroots level for many years, Yu Zhefeng also trained Liu Haiyang, who was selected for the National Youth Team, and Chen Yutong, who won the runner-up at the Asian Youth Swimming Championships. Xie Zhili, a young boy who was born with missing right forearm, has repeatedly achieved great results in international competitions with his scientific training and continuous encouragement.
A willingness to be a good person is passed down from generation to generation, and grassroots sports people continue to write a foundation of unity.
Luo Ruifen and Yu Zhefeng are both members of the Ningbo Sports Branch of the Peasants and Workers’ Party. The two masters and apprentices work together to cultivate youth sports talents, which is also the epitome of the Ningbo Sports Branch of the Peasants and Workers’ Party continuing to promote the integration of sports and education and discovering reserve sports talents.
For decades, Luo Ruifen sent dozens of swimmers to the provincial and national teams while teaching at the Ningbo Sports School; Yu Zhefeng has been rooted in the grassroots of the campus for more than 20 years and regards the selection, cultivation and delivery of seedlings as his lifelong career. From Luo Ruifen to Yu Zhefeng, from Wang Shun to Lin Xinyu, a pool of clear water carries not only the teaching of swimming skills, but also the spiritual relay of being a ladder and silently supporting others.
Ningbo, a port city, is the cradle of many Olympic champions. The spotlight is reserved for the athletes on the field, but behind the gold medals, a large number of grassroots coaches hide by the swimming pool all year round, personally supporting the sports dreams of one teenager after another. The waves of Moon Lake are still rippling, and the water in the campus swimming pool never stops. There are always latecomers who take up the baton by the pool and swim towards the farther track.
