China Flower Tour achieved a historic breakthrough in the World Championships, experiencing the darkest moments of the World Championships | Team | China
On July 22, Beijing time, Shi Haoyu and Cheng Wentao won the synchronized swimming mixed doubles free choice final at the Fukuoka Swimming World Championships with a score of 225.1020, achieving a historic breakthrough for the Chinese team in this event. At this point, the Chinese synchronized swimming team also ended their first World Series after the new scoring rules with 3 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. Zhang Xiaohuan, the head coach of the Chinese synchronized swimming team, said in an interview with reporters that after enduring the darkest moments and successfully defeating herself, the team finally experienced growth, which was a very valuable experience before the Paris Olympics.
A year ago, at the Budapest Swimming World Championships in Hungary, the Chinese synchronized swimming team achieved the best record in the history of the world championship with 4 gold and 2 bronze medals. Especially in the Olympic events of pairs and groups, Chinese girls have all won gold medals. However, after the World Swimming Federation implemented new scoring rules for synchronized swimming at the end of last year, all teams had to readjust, which was a cruel process for the Chinese team, which had just established its advantages and confidence. "The new regulations are a huge change in this sport, just like in the past when everyone was required to cook Chinese food. Through the efforts of several generations of Chinese tourists, we have finally achieved world-class standards. But now we require all teams to switch to Western cuisine." Zhang Xiaohuan said, "From the day the new regulations were implemented, all teams have stood on the same starting line. It's not that you used to be the first, but after changing the rules, you can still be the first. So, we need to put aside the burden of being champions at the previous World Championships. In the face of the new regulations, we, like other teams, are starting from scratch."
The new rules have clearer and clearer requirements for difficulty, which puts higher demands on the team. During training, athletes gritted their teeth and overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but they were also exhausted and cried, and even in the middle of the night, they were still gesturing. Modifying difficulty, reducing difficulty, adjusting actions, and adjusting application plans are all the tasks of the head coach.
In a video presented by Zhang Xiaohuan to reporters, when they sent the modified action plan to the Fukuoka Organizing Committee via computer, it was already 3:05 am. However, even so, the uncertainty brought by the new rules still led to the failure of the Chinese team's two player and collective technical optional events, and the whole team encountered a dark moment. Zhang Xiaohuan and the coaching staff were under tremendous pressure and anxiety.
"What made me most happy this time was that the athletes were able to quickly adjust themselves after going through a darkest moment. They were able to overcome depression and immense pressure before the finals. I think this was a particularly good experience for our team, and it was also a process of athlete growth." Zhang Xiaohuan said, "We have full confidence and confidence. The confidence comes from years of deep understanding of this project, years of hard and solid training to forge basic abilities, as well as our extremely serious research, response, and tremendous efforts in response to the new rules. Finally, coupled with the mutual trust and cohesion among team members, and the valuable help that the system has given us." "And protection."
Under the new rules, Chinese synchronized swimming has set sail in Fukuoka, achieving new results and breakthroughs, but they are well aware that next year's Paris Olympics will be the "big test". "We need to give our all to strive for the best results, but winning a gold medal is not the only goal. For next year's Olympics and even the longer-term future after the Olympics, we take this World Championships as a rare opportunity to examine whether our efforts under the new regulations are correct, identify as many problems as possible, identify weaknesses, and better understand what the new regulations encourage by observing the referee's scoring tendencies. We also examine and learn from our opponents." Zhang Xiaohuan said, "A good result is a very positive feedback for us, indicating that our efforts under the new regulations are in the right direction. However, we are also aware that all teams are in the stage of understanding and adapting to the new regulations, and a relatively stable strength pattern." It hasn't formed yet, we can't slack off for a moment
