Olympic champions are always the highlight at the venues of the ongoing National Games. Jin Ziwei is no exception.
Chinese Olympic gold medalist Jin Ziwei competes in a women's rowing race at the 11th National Games in Rizhao, East China's Shandong Province, on Thursday, October 15, 2009. Jin finished second in the women's single scull 2,000 meter qualifying heat 2 to enter the semifinal of the event. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
by Sun Yang
Olympic champions are always the highlight at the venues of the ongoing National Games. Jin Ziwei is no exception.
This slender girl and her three teammates won China's first Olympic rowing gold during the Beijing Olympic Games last August, which made the girl well-known to 1.3 billion Chinese people overnight.
Jin showed her Olympic mettle in the National Games' regatta on Thursday as she rowed into the semifinal of the women's single scull 2,000 meter race.
She also joined Gao Yulan, a Beijing Olympic silver medalist, to win team Jiangxi a semifinal berth in the double sculls event.
One year after winning the Olympic championship, the exultation of victory has faded for Jin Ziwei and she can calmly face new competitions, taking the National Games as a new start.
"The coach has helped us to tune up our competitive form after the Olympic Games. The more important thing is to calm down, devote yourself to the competition despite the disturbance outside," said Jin.
But the National Games attracts rowing elites from across China, and Jin's gold medal partner in the Olympic Games, Tang Bing, now playing for team Liaoning, has become her arch rival in the single's race.
Jin, however, said this situation is quite normal for them, and she is only focused on giving her best performance.
"We used to train together when we were on the national team and know each other very well. It is fair for all in the competitions. If we just try our hardest, we can do well. That's enough," said Jin.
Jin said she will be happy for her former national teammates if they surpass her to win the gold in the race.
"I will congratulate them on the victory. It is quite natural. We should not attribute our failure to others. We need to find the reason for ourselves. Maybe our training wasn't good enough," Jin said.
Jin, a key rower in the national team, turns 24 on Saturday - and a National Games gold medal would no doubt make the best birthday present for the rowing star.
Chinese Olympic rowing champion Jin Ziwei smiles after finishing second in the women's race in Shandong Province on Thursday, October 15, 2009. Jin, together with Xi Aihua, Tang Bin and Zhang Yangyang, won China's first Olympic gold medal for rowing at the Beijing Olympic Games last August. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
