Chen Zhong : a tank in the ring
Tae-kwon-do doesn't enjoy the same popularity in China as table tennis or gymnastics. But China still boasts2 an Olympic champion in the sport.
She is Chen Zhong, a young woman whose ever-increasing passion3 for her sport that never ceases to astonish4 the tae-kwon-do world. So come with us to meet a shy, young star in today's Chinese Olympic Stars series.
Chen Zhong is a 22-year-old from Henan. She was a basketball player before switching5 to tae-kwon-do in 1995. At first Chen Zhong wondered what she had done. She found the tae-kwon-do training so difficult, so full of hardship and pain that she initially thought of quitting.
Chen Zhong said, "I wept almost every day after training. I phoned my mother and told her that I wanted to quit because I couldn't overcome so much 256 hardship.
My mother told me that if others could endure6 it, then so could I. I cried over the phone, but went on training in the next day. And in the end I overcame all of my difficulties. "
Chen Zhong's skills improved and her self-confidence soared7 over the coming years, and she went on to represent China in the 67kg category at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
There she took on four opponents in one morning, and kicked them out with incredible passion to take China's first Olympic gold in an event that not too many Chinese people ever thought about8. It was a day she will never forget.
She said, "I felt as if I had been reborn. I didn't think of anything other than being passionate in the court. There was little for me to be afraid of since I am young and energetic. I went in with confidence that I was the best. "
Out of the arena, however, this warrior woman has the sweet disposition9 of a typical Chinese girl; She is shy, polite, always wearing a gentle smile. She displays little in the way of aggression, even only seconds away from the competition.
But a vital fighting force breaks through the composure as soon as she steps into the arena10. And it's this that has taken her to victory in many national and Asia-wide championships.
Chen Zhong added , " I am very much different on and off the court. I feel I am open and aggressive during the game, absolutely fearless. But I am actually quitean introverted" person, not keen on talking. It's really strange. "
Despite the years of energy-consuming training, Chen Zhong is also pursuing a master's degree in one of China's best sports universities. In this respect she is uncommon among her peers.
But she loves her studies and wants to qualify herself to survive12 when she retires from her sport. However, she has had to put one of her long-cherished dreams — to be a painter — on the back burner13 for now.
Chen Zhong said, "This is a cow, clad14 in tae-kwon-do apparel. This shows how to fight back when an opponent attacks, and how to attack more efficiently to break a deadlock15 in a game. The teacher told us to write it down in words, but I find pictures more direct and interesting, so I did it this way. "
Chen Zhong will defend her Olympic title in Athens in August. Although she is not renowned for the elegance of her play, she is confident that her solid practical approach will secure her title, and another Olympic gold.
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