Xinhua News Agency, Xi'an, September 20th (Reporters Geng Huihuang and Li Dian) After several days of rain, Xi'an was clear and sunny on the 20th. As the first match of the 14th National Games track and field event, the men's 20-kilometer race walk started at 8 o'clock in the morning. Race walking veteran and London Olympic champion Chen Ding finished fifth in 1 hour, 22 minutes and 36 seconds.
"Retired, returned, and resumed training until now. I have not been selected in the Olympics and ranked fifth in the National Games. I do not regret this result. The road is very difficult, but it is worth it. After today, I will return Behind the scenes." Chen Ding said after the game.
Data map: On August 4, 2012, Chen Ding celebrated after winning the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Yong
The 2012 London Olympics was the highlight of Chen Ding’s career. He won the men’s 20-kilometer race walking gold medal in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 46 seconds, after Liu Xiang The second Chinese male athlete to win the Olympic gold medal in track and field.
At the 2013 Moscow World Championships in Athletics, although Chen Ding crossed the finish line for the second time, the Russian champion Ivanov was banned for drug-related matters and his gold medal in the World Championships was also deprived of him. Chen Ding was replaced by World Championship champion.
In the following years, Chen Ding's state fluctuated, and the results of the competition were not satisfactory. After the 2016 Rio Olympics, Chen Ding has been plagued by injuries. After finishing fifth in the 2017 National Games, Chen Ding quietly retired.
Looking back at 2012 and 2013, Chen Ding said frankly that there was a lot of pressure in every game. "At that time, I felt that I must play a good level to be worthy of everyone's support and my many years of dedication. Looking back now, I put too much pressure on me at that time. Without ever-victorious generals, the ups and downs of performance are normal. Face it normally," Chen Ding said.
Data map: On May 7, 2016, Chinese player Chen Ding was in the game. Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Yu photo
After retiring,Chen Ding formed his own family at the end of 2017. After that, his identity changed from a hard-fighting player to a referee on the sidelines of the court. In May 2018, Chen Ding participated in the refereeing of the World Race Walking Team Championships, which impressed him. In that competition, the Japanese men's players suddenly emerged. In the Chinese team's home stadium Taicang , they swept the individual and team championships in the 20km and 50km events. After this game, Chen Ding strengthened his determination to come back.
In October 2018, Chen Ding began to resume system training in preparation for his comeback. But the road to return is not smooth. On the one hand, his wife had just given birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix fetuses at the end of August, which gave Chen Ding more concern for his family; on the other hand, being away from the stadium for more than a year also caused Chen Ding’s physical function to decline significantly and appeared. Some new injuries.
In 2019, Chen Ding participated in several competitions and the results were not satisfactory. "Although every competition has failed to meet expectations, and every persistence is difficult, I cherish it. Race walking is a sport that reaps success in adversity." Chen Ding said.
Data map: On September 19, 2020, Guangdong team player Chen Ding was in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhu Zheng
At the National Walking Championships and Olympic Trials held in March this year, Chen Ding lost again. "I haven't gotten out of the blow for a long time. I didn't expect that the 1 hour and 21 minutes that I could easily achieve before has become a hurdle now."
Before the National Games, Chen Ding had been as planned. Prepare for battle in Kunming. Like the previous National Games, this year he also won the fifth place. "I felt physically weak at the beginning, but this is my last game, and I don't want to regret the end. So I still insist on fighting, and I can walk fast and count as one lap." Chen Ding said.
After the game, Chen Ding said that he would leave the track, but would not leave the race walking career. Chinese race walking is still at the top level, and he hopes to continue to contribute to China's track and field.
"In the future, I will integrate into the sports business with a new identity, not just walking, but also trying new things. But my future will be closely related to track and field events." Chen Ding said.
Editor: Zhang Yueshan, Huang Xuguo, Wu Junkuan, Wang Yilin (internship)
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