Focus Interview, Youth Will Never End, Chengdu Universiade Hard to Say Goodbye to College Students | Volunteers | Youth

On August 8th, the 31st Chengdu Summer Universiade concluded at the Chengdu Open Air Music Park. From the opening to the closing, Chengdu's years of preparation have been perfectly presented to the world in these 12 days, creating an excellent stage for young people to showcase themselves and an unforgettable wonderful experience. Through every detail during the Universiade, Chengdu conveys the concept of "youth, unity, and friendship" to the world, showcasing a different China and making it difficult for friends from all over the world to say goodbye.

The closing ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, from the sports stadium to the open-air park, is not only a breakthrough in the closing ceremony of large-scale sports events, but also in line with Chengdu's unique temperament of building a park city. The cultural performance at the closing ceremony was presented in the form of a large-scale stage play, integrating various stages into one. Even the studio of China Central Television was set in the center of the stage for the first time, reflecting innovation everywhere.

In the end, the organizing committee of the Chengdu Universiade passed the flag to representatives from the Rhine Ruhr region of Germany, where the next Universiade will be held. The flame of the Universiade slowly extinguished, and the Chengdu Universiade came to a successful conclusion.

The Chengdu Universiade is a youthful event, with over 6500 college students from 113 countries and regions around the world participating. Chengdu provides these young people with the best stage to strive and showcase themselves, allowing them to recall years later that their youth once bloomed here in the summer of 2023.

In all 18 major events and 269 minor events of this competition, the athletes broke the competition record 22 times. And every breakthrough on the field is worth applauding.

Jiangnan is a senior student from Yunnan Normal University, and she is also the first athlete trained independently by a university in Yunnan Province to participate in the women's triple jump competition at the Universiade, representing China.

In the final on August 5th, Jiangnan committed a foul in her first jump and did not achieve any results. She must give her all in the next two jumps. Before the second jump, she shouted loudly to cheer herself up, and then resolutely rushed out, leaving the once insecure self in the past.

Four years ago, Jiangnan entered Yunnan Normal University as a specially recruited sports student, but soon after, she made an unexpected decision.

Chinese athlete Jiang Nan from the Chengdu Universiade: At that time, the training pressure was also quite high, and he was very tired, both physically and mentally exhausted. The psychological and physical impact was the same. After that year, he stopped training and withdrew from the team.

During middle school, Jiangnan was recommended by the school to join the provincial team, but in the end, he was unable to stay. This experience made her feel less confident and always felt that there was a gap in her talent compared to others. After joining the university team, the pressure of training and competition made Jiangnan feel discouraged. However, coach Yang Fan is optimistic about her future. Yang Fan told Jiangnan that if she persisted in practicing, she would actually have the opportunity to stand on the stage of the Universiade, but Jiangnan himself dared not even think about it.

Jiangnan: I can't believe it because I was thinking, how could I possibly reach such a high level? There are so many high-level athletes in the country, and I am not at that particularly good level. The coach said you don't work hard, how do you know you can't achieve it? In this year, I have also pondered repeatedly, perhaps growing a bit, and my thinking has matured a bit. I said I want to give it a try again.

After returning to the team, Jiangnan made more efforts than before to fill the gap. Under Yang Fan's careful training, her accumulation finally exploded. In 2023, she performed well in multiple competitions and improved her best score to 13.45 meters, finally winning a ticket to the World University Games.

In the second jump of 13.49 meters, Jiangnan broke his personal best record and ultimately achieved seventh place with this result. Being able to perform at their best or even surpass themselves in a competition is the greatest happiness for every athlete. From the school team to the provincial team, and then to the national team, this once insecure girl constantly broke through herself and completed the triple jump of her sports career.

Jiangnan: You need to broaden your horizons and believe that you can climb higher. How do you know how high you can climb without doing it? You have to let go, let go and do it.

The Chengdu Universiade is not only a venue for athletes to compete on the same stage and break through themselves, but also a stage for young people to be passionate and dedicated to their youth.

Chen Danni joined the volunteer work after successfully applying to host the Universiade in Chengdu in 2018. At that time, she was still an undergraduate student at Southwest Jiaotong University. During the waiting period for the Universiade, Chen Danni completed her undergraduate studies and continued her postgraduate studies in other cities. In May of this year, she returned to Chengdu again and returned to the volunteer team.

Chengdu Universiade volunteer Chen Danni: I must come back, I must finish this task, and I must do it well. I think the Chengdu Universiade is a connection between me and the city of Chengdu, both emotionally and spiritually. It has become a very important part of my youth memories, so I never thought that one day I would give up on it.

As one of the earliest volunteers to join the preparations for the Universiade, Chen Danni has held many positions and is very familiar with many aspects of volunteer work. So after the start of the Chengdu Universiade, she took on the position of volunteer assistant and became a volunteer serving volunteers.

Chen Danni's daily work includes counting the on duty situation of volunteers, inspecting various positions, listening to feedback from volunteers, and providing them with logistical support. These tasks are very tedious and require a lot of coordination, but she doesn't find them very difficult.

Chen Danni: Every day of participating in volunteer service, I didn't feel particularly tired. This was an experience brought to me by the Chengdu Universiade, which showed me the strength that love brought me when I went to work in my passion. Seeing their smiles, I felt that at this moment, all of us would feel that all the hard work was worth it.

There are over 20000 college student volunteers like Chen Danni serving at the Chengdu Universiade. They showcase the beautiful image of Chinese young people to the world with their enthusiasm and smiles in every corner of the Universiade village, various competition venues, opening and closing ceremonies, urban service stations, and so on. And this journey of dedication will also become a very valuable experience in their lives.

The Chengdu Universiade is a grand event of youth and friendship. College students from all over the world compete and live together. They are exchanging their sports skills with each other, as well as their cultures and perspectives. Taekwondo athlete Luo Miaoyi, who is currently studying at China University of Geosciences, met her idol at the Chengdu Universiade - the Tokyo Olympics Taekwondo women's 49kg champion and Thai athlete Benniba. When she is not in the competition, Luo Miaoyi will come specifically to cheer for Beniba.

Swapping battle gowns, the two young girls, who were three years apart, were both excited and showcased the battle gowns with the national team name printed on them, comparing their hearts to each other. In just a few days, the opponents on the field have become friends off the field. During the break of the competition, the two of them will also make plans to go shopping together, and Beniba will also provide some suggestions for Luo Miaoyi in terms of sports.

Communication like this happens daily both inside and outside the Chengdu Universiade. In addition to the competition, the organizing committee arranged rich experiential activities for the athletes, which served as a bridge for them to deeply understand each other and China.

The Universiade has brought Chengdu, a rising international city in western China, to the world for the first time with such a broad dimension. The unique culture, enthusiastic people, and rich cuisine of the Universiade not only allow the world to understand Chengdu, but also showcase a broader and more charming China to the world.

Chengdu and the Universiade have achieved mutual success. Chengdu has taken the Universiade to a new height, and the Universiade has also made Chengdu renowned worldwide. For young people from various countries participating in the Chengdu Universiade, it is not only a successful and exciting event, but also a rich life experience that will accompany their growth, bring motivation and motivation. Chengdu has achieved its dreams, and new dreams will also set sail from here.

Editor | Wang Meng and Chen Kai

Camera | Song Liye

Editing | Zhao Peng