Chen Zhong

------Tae-kwon-do guru's happy life cctv.com 07-23-2004 15:34

Tae-kwon-do doesn't enjoy the same popularity in China as table tennis or gymnastics. But China still boasts an Olympic champion in the sport. She is Chen Zhong, a young woman whose ever-increasing passion for her sport that never ceases to astonish the tae-kwon-do world. So come with us to meet a shy, young star in today's Chinese Olympic Stars series.

Chen Zhong is a 22-year-old from Henan. She was a basketball player before switching to tae-kwon-do in 1995. At first Chen Zhong wondered what she had done. She found the tae-kwon-do training so difficult, so full of hardship and pain, that she initially thought of quitting.

Chen Zhong said, "I wept almost every day after training. I phoned my mother and told her that I wanted to quit because I couldn't overcome so much hardship. My mother told me that if others could endure it, then so could I. I cried over the phone, but went on training in the next day. And in the end I overcame all of my difficulties."

Chen Zhong's skills improved and her self-confidence soared over the coming years, and she went on to represent China in the 67kg category at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. There she took on four opponents in one morning, and kicked them out with incredible passion to take China's first Olympic gold in an event that not too many Chinese people ever thought about. It was a day she will never forget.

She said, "I felt as if I had been reborn. I didn't think of anything other than being passionate in the court. There was little for me to be afraid of since I am young and energetic. I went in with confident that I was the best."

Out of the arena, however, this warrior woman has the sweet disposition of a typical Chinese girl: She is shy, polite, always wearing a gentle smile. She displays little in the way of aggression, even only seconds away from the competition. But a vital fighting force breaks through the composure as soon as she steps into the arena. And it's this that has taken her to victory in many national and Asia-wide championships.

Chen Zhong added, "I am very much different on and off the court. I feel I am open and aggressive during the game, absolutely fearless. But I am actually quite an introverted person, not keen on talking. It's really strange."

Despite the years of energy-consuming training, Chen Zhong is also pursuing a master's degree in one of China's best sports universities. In this respect she is uncommon among her peers. But she loves her studies and wants to qualify herself to survive when she retires from her sport. However, she has had to put her one of her long-cherished dreams - to be a painter - on the back burner for now.

Chen Zhong said, "This is a cow, clad in tae-kwon-do apparel. This shows how to fight back when an opponent attacks, and how to attack more efficiently to break a deadlock in a game. The teacher told us to write it down in words, but I find pictures more direct and interesting, so I did it this way."

Chen Zhong will defend her Olympic title in Athens in August. Although she is not renowned for the elegance of her play, she is confident that her solid practical approach will secure her title, and another Olympic gold.

Chronology

Chen Zhong

1982 Born Henan province, central China

1995 Began tae-kwon-do training

1998 Bronze medalist: 67kg category, 13th Asian Games in Bangkok

1999 Champion: 72kg category, National Tae-kwon-do Championship

2000 Champion: 72kg category, Asian Tae-kwon-do Championship in HK

2000 Gold medalist: 67kg category, Sydney Olympics

2000 Admitted to Beijing Sports University

Editor:Wang  Source:CCTV.com