On the 5th, Zhang Guowei, the famous Chinese high jump General, announced his retirement. He wrote on his personal social platform: “Sorry, I really can’t jump anymore. I decided to retire.”
At the age of 29, he had the chance to hit the Tokyo Olympics, but he finally chose to leave the stadium with regret.
Zhang Guowei, who was born in 1991, was once regarded as the new hope of Chinese high jump. In 2011, he began to emerge in domestic competitions, constantly refreshing his personal best results.
In 2013, in the national indoor track and field championships, he broke the national high jump star Zhu Jianhua’s 27-year national indoor high jump record with a score of 2 meters 32.
But Zhang Guowei was well known by the audience, and it still originated from the Beijing world track and field championships in 2015. At that time, Zhang Guowei not only skipped the height of 2 meters and 33 meters in the Bird’s Nest, but also surpassed the results of the third place in Zhu Jianhua world championship and got a valuable silver medal.
As the results get better and better, Zhang Guowei also suffers from injuries. At the Rio Olympics, due to injuries, Zhang Guowei, who originally intended to hit the medal, failed to enter the final.
Zhang Guowei is called the “Mudslide” of track and field, and his naughty and funny celebration moves bring his own happiness. Outside the stadium, Zhang Guowei has also participated in many variety shows and is quite popular on the Internet.
In March, 2019, a punishment decision of the field management center was circulated on the Internet: Zhang Guowei was verified to make up reasons for going out to participate in commercial activities twice at the end of February and the beginning of March, “It seriously violated the management regulations of the national track and field training team, interfered with the normal preparation work, and caused adverse effects”. Therefore, the track and field management center carried out a series of punishments to Zhang Guowei, including “giving dismissal and keeping the team to check.
Although Zhang Guowei later responded through personal social media that his behavior leaders expressed understanding and tolerance, and he still fought in the front line of the national team, he did disappear later.
Until April 25, 2019, Zhang Guowei came back quietly. He won the championship in a small level event in Italy with a score of only 2 meters 20. Then, on May 26, Zhang Guowei went out for the second time and won the championship with 2 meters 24.
On August 3, 2019, Zhang Guowei appeared in the world championship trials held in Shenyang. This was the first time he participated in the domestic competition after he came back after being banned. It was also the first time in his true sense that he returned to the public. However, the result of 2 meters 20 is obviously different from that of his peak period, let alone participating in the world competition.
“Don’t worry about me. I have already trained iron-like endurance in the days of recuperation. Climbing from the bottom of the valley is doomed to be difficult. I have been climbing in the dark for several years, will I still be afraid when I see the dawn? Later, I will slowly find the feeling of the game and find the rhythm of the game belonging to Zhang Guowei.” He said.
At that time, Zhang Guowei said his goal was to impact the Olympic qualification. “The next goal is still 2 meters 30, which is the standard of the world championships. The Olympic bid is 2 meters 33, that is, to reach both standards.”
It is worth mentioning that in the high jump challenge in Siena, Italy held on March this year, Zhang Guowei jumped out of the height of 2 meters 28 and won the runner-up. This is his best result in four years of personal indoor high jump.
After the game, Zhang Guowei said that he once wanted to give up because of injuries in the past few years. This result was only the beginning and he could be better.
On the evening of March 24, Beijing time, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games was confirmed to be postponed to 2021.
Such a change is undoubtedly a great challenge for a veteran like Zhang Guowei. However, he expressed confidently through personal social media that the delay of the Olympic Games gave him time to become stronger.
As a Internet celebrity, Zhang Guowei often publishes videos of his training and life through the Internet. It can be seen from this that he still maintained a normal training rhythm and a positive attitude before the news of retirement.
Now the news of Zhang Guowei’s retirement suddenly came, which also made many netizens very surprised for a while. Someone even left a message below: “Brother, April Fool’s Day is over”.
However, more netizens expressed their blessings and regrets to him, “Don’t be sorry, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.” “How do we say we have to go to the Tokyo Olympics, you still need to win honor for your country ~”
whether it is because of the enemy injury or invasion, or you have to bow to the years, Zhang Guowei finally made the decision to retire. He once said that he would be the first yellow race to skip 2 meters 40. Now he can only bear unfinished dreams and leave his beloved track and field.
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but unfortunately, free and easy is rare. Zhang Guowei at the peak time refreshed the new height of Chinese high jump with his achievements again and again, and his free and unrestrained character also brought different colors to the stadium. This may be Zhang Guowei’s more vivid label besides high jump.
From a young teenager to a veteran in his career, Zhang Guowei seems to have never been worn away by time. Although his state declined, he fought against injuries and age, which attracted much attention on the internet but also caused controversy, but Zhang Guowei was still Zhang Guowei and had not changed.
Just as he suddenly announced his retirement at an ordinary moment, it was very casual and also very Zhang Guowei.