日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

Chinadaily.com.cn sharing the Olympic spirit
OLYMPICS/ Team china


Sink or swim for Chinese rowers
By Cui Xiaohuo (China Daily/The Olympian)
Updated: 2007-11-16 13:47

 


Chinese rowers think they have a golden future ahead if China can fish out its first Olympic gold medal next summer in the fringe sport, which is now fighting for legitimacy in the increasingly sports-driven country.

"If we make a breakthrough in Beijing, rowing will become a top-priority sport," said Asian Games gold medalist Zhang Dechang, coxswain for the men's eight. "If we fail, rowing will continue along the way it is. It may even go downhill."

Only a gold would result in the prestige, funding and popularity that rowing so badly needs to migrate Chinese children away from dreams of joining the NBA or the national diving team. Anything less, officials say, it could go belly-up before it has had a chance to take off.

"Things are much harder now," said Guan Rongting, whose job as director of Shaoxing Water Sports Training School involves scouting for potential rowing talents from regional schools.

"Fewer parents with tall children believe their kids will have a better future in sports. Even for those who do, they go for big sports like basketball but definitely not rowing."

China's Long March for an Olympic gold has seen it go through almost two decades of trial and error. Although it has captured two silvers and two bronzes in that period since the women's coxed four earned its maiden medal at the 1988 Seoul Games, it has never led the field.


Xu Rui and Zhang Yangyang (front) cruise through the semifinals of the World Rowing Junior Championships 2007 at the Shunyi Rowing/Canoeing Park in Beijing on August 10. [China Daily]

Hence Guan's personal crusade.

The 49-year-old spends much of his time at his training school in Zhejiang Province, a beautiful pocket in Eastern China dotted with lakes that is known as the cradle of Chinese rowing. The national team is currently training in the area, at one of their three domestic bases.

Every day after school, 43 youngsters aged 11-15 pack up their text books, put on their life jackets and pick up their sculls under the guidance of five coaches bent on a single goal: taking Chinese rowing to the next level.

Several national and world champions started their careers at Guan's school but there are only 2,000 full-time rowers in the country -- a statistic that makes the director's job of lobbying local farmers and school deans to release their children to him that much harder.

However, there are signs of promise. A number of potential stars from the east have stamped their presence at international regattas, including the world championships in Munich this August, where eight boats consolidated their spots for the Beijing Games.

One of the top prospects for China is 24-year-old Xu Dongxiang, the Shaoxing-born world champion sculler who now trains 175 km from her hometown at the national training center near Hangzhou.

   Previous 1 2 Next  
Comments of the article(total ) Print This Article E-mail
PHOTO GALLERY
PHOTO COUNTDOWN
MOST VIEWED
OLYMPIAN DATABASE
主站蜘蛛池模板: 五月亭亭激情五月 | 天天插天天狠天天透 | 91茄子国产线观看免费 | 日韩av免费在线观看 | 国产aaa毛片| 9色在线| 在线观看国产免费高清不卡 | 日韩成人免费在线视频 | 日本在线免费 | 夜夜操天天射 | 亚洲涩涩 | 国产精品久久久久久免费 | 久久一本 | 午夜电影合集 | 牛牛精品国内免费一区 | 日韩在线视频免费观看 | 久久国产综合 | 亚州毛色毛片免费观看 | 日本成片 | 一级毛片播放 | 久久99精品久久久97夜夜嗨 | 日本久久影视 | 欧美日韩在线免费观看 | 热久久伊人 | 欧美一级精品片在线看 | 欧美一级视频 | 国产欧美一区二区三区在线看 | 亚洲一区二区三区在线 | 久久观看午夜精品 | 中文字幕免费 | 欧美一区二区三区在线观看免费 | 亚洲第一页在线播放 | 成人在线观看av | 国产成人黄网址在线视频 | 亚洲欧美日韩在线线精品 | 国产福利免费在线观看 | 一二区视频 | A片好大好紧好爽视频 | 日韩免费一区 | 久9久9精品视频在线观看 | 亚洲精品在线视频 |