Made in China, the first gold medal of the Chengdu Universiade: Sichuan boy obsessed with martial arts is a hardworking son | Cao Maoyuan | Martial Arts

Dressed in Chinese red, Cao Maoyuan's footwork is flexible and his movements are full of tension, like a red flame burning.

"My wish to win a gold medal at my doorstep has come true!" On July 29th, the first gold medal was won at the 31st Summer Universiade in Chengdu. Cao Maoyuan, a martial arts player from Sichuan and from Chengdu Sports Institute, performed perfectly in the men's Nanquan competition of martial arts routines and won the gold medal with a score of 9.770. "Being able to showcase my skills in front of the people of my hometown is more exciting than being nervous. Today's competition also showed my level!" Cao Maoyuan, who won the gold medal, was somewhat excited.

In this competition, 10 players from 10 national and regional representative teams participated. Cao Maoyuan, who came in fourth, was full of strength and determination in every move on the field. When the referee team reported a score of 9.770, the entire Chengdu North Sports Center was boiling, and the audience was in high spirits, constantly cheering and cheering for this fellow athlete. Thunderous applause echoed in the sports center for a long time.

During an interview after the game, Cao Maoyuan gave himself a nine point rating. "Today, he showed his usual level of training and was quite satisfied. The audience was very enthusiastic, and I was quite excited. During the game, I always paid attention to keeping my emotions down and thinking about the requirements of training. I know I can't interrupt my movements and rhythm due to changes in the environment."

I have had a "martial arts dream" since childhood

In September 1997, Cao Maoyuan was born in Madao Village, Yanling Town, Weiyuan County, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province. When watching martial arts movies as a child, Cao Maoyuan was often attracted by the handsome martial arts scenes, which planted the seeds of practicing martial arts. Once he saw a child from another family practicing martial arts, he said to his father, "I also want to be like an older brother."

At the age of 5, Cao Maoyuan's family moved from the countryside to the county town because his father hoped that his son could be closer to the place where he practiced martial arts. At this time, Hengjin Weihui, the coach of the martial arts team at the Weiyuan County Children's Amateur Sports School, selected Cao Maoyuan to join the team, marking the beginning of the pursuit of the dream of a "martial arts boy".

For the sake of his beloved martial arts, Cao Maoyuan is not shy. Cao Maoyuan's mother revealed that when his son went to elementary school, he would always rush to the martial arts team for training after school in the afternoon and never be late. "Time is tight on the way, and he would rather starve than have dinner, and he would never be late!"

Enlightenment coach Heng Jinwei still remembers that he once took 9-year-old Cao Maoyuan to Nanchong to participate in the Sichuan Province Martial Arts Routine Championship. Before the competition, Cao Maoyuan accidentally scratched his head with a piece of board and sewed 13 stitches. At that time, the doctor suggested that Cao Maoyuan rest, but Cao Maoyuan insisted on participating with injuries. Heng Jinwei reported the situation to the organizing committee and expressed Cao Maoyuan's strong desire to participate in the competition. In the end, Cao Maoyuan successfully participated and won the men's third group long fist championship at the 2007 Sichuan Province Martial Arts Routine Championships.

In 2008, Cao Maoyuan was selected to participate in the training of the Sichuan Provincial Martial Arts Team. Yu Bo, the coach of the national team of the Chinese delegation's martial arts routine at the Chengdu Universiade, watched as Cao Maoyuan grew up. "He can be considered an authentic and native athlete of our Sichuan Province martial arts team. He has had a high talent since childhood and is also very spiritual," he said

When Cao Maoyuan was a child, he was a troublemaker, but he was trained to be strict with himself. The motto of Cao Maoyuan is "one day practice, one day work, one day not practice ten days pine". Every time the coach arranges training tasks, Cao Maoyuan will absorb and summarize them based on his own situation, and then provide feedback to the coach.

Inheriting the treasures of Chinese martial arts

In 2016, Cao Maoyuan entered Chengdu Sports Institute to study. His love for martial arts left a deep impression on Liu Jinli, associate professor of the School of Martial Arts at Chengdu Sports Institute. Liu Jinli remembers that when she first met Cao Maoyuan, his personality was quite outgoing and impulsive. Afterwards, while learning and training, Cao Maoyuan's personality became more stable and introverted, very disciplined, and there was no need for coaches to worry.

There was no easy success. During his years of practicing martial arts, Cao Maoyuan also experienced many injuries and illnesses. "When facing setbacks, I will recall my purest moments, why I loved martial arts when I was a child, and I have come over all the difficult situations I faced when I was a child. I should not give up now."

In order to participate in the Chengdu Universiade, Cao Maoyuan also made sacrifices. Liu Jinli revealed in an interview that due to the introduction of new rules for martial arts routines, martial arts athletes from all over the country will participate in national competitions to adapt to the new rules. Cao Maoyuan, on the other hand, devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Chengdu Universiade, which may affect his eligibility to participate in the National Martial Arts Championship. However, he did not hesitate to say, "Martial arts is the inheritance and treasure of traditional Chinese culture. The Chengdu Universiade is held at our doorstep in Chengdu, and it is very fortunate for me to participate. It has broadened my horizons and provided me with an opportunity to bring glory to my country."

During the preparation and training period in Chengdu, Cao Maoyuan sweated every day on the training ground of the Chengbei Sports Center. Tall, fast, and with strong momentum, Cao Maoyuan excelled in a robust and simple set of Southern Fists. Behind the magnificent performance, it is inseparable from the painstaking research of the coaching staff. "Cao Maoyuan's weakness is also due to his tall stature, which makes his movements appear more 'floating'. We have invested a lot of energy in creating some routines to make up for his shortcomings in his movements, and also emphasized his strong impact. Under the guidance of coaches of the Chinese university martial arts team such as Yu Bo, Cao Maoyuan repeatedly honed his routine movements, often taking only two or three minutes to rest after completing the entire set of movements, and then starting from scratch on the field, striving to be more perfect over and over again.".

For the sake of his beloved martial arts, Cao Maoyuan gathered with his parents, who provided the greatest support. In the audience of the Universiade, a cheering group consisting of dozens of family, teachers, and friends cheered Cao Maoyuan. Cao Maoyuan suppressed his inner emotions, remembered his coach's teachings, and demonstrated his martial arts skills in front of the people of his hometown. "The coach told us that martial artists need to be calm, and the more they are on the field, the more they need to remain calm." Cao Maoyuan will also participate in the men's Southern Stick competition, aiming to win two gold medals.

Champion Chinese athlete Cao Maoyuan, runner up Hong Kong athlete Liu Zilong, and third place Iranian athlete Sha Xin attended the award ceremony.