The former world champion and the most popular star in China’s cold water jug has a new identity: director of the cold water jug project competition of the sports department of Beijing Winter Olympic organizing committee.
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 20th question: Captain Cold Water Jug’s life “next shot”-interview with former women’s cold water jug world champion Wang Bingyu
Xinhua news agency reporters Wang Jingyu, Zheng Zhi, yang Fan
“many people may think that they know cold water jug when they mention ice jade, and they know ice jade when they say cold water jug, but that kind of Wang Bingyu may know cold water jug techniques and tactics, 18 years of life may all be on the ice rink or on the ice surface. Now after the change, it seems that you know cold water jug, but you will find: Oh, there are so many things you don’t know.”
Facing the camera, Wang Bingyu talked with him. The former world champion and the most popular star in China’s cold water jug has a new identity: director of the cold water jug project competition of the sports department of Beijing Winter Olympic organizing committee. Once she took the gold medal as her only dream, she left the ice and started the “next shot” of her life “.
After the transformation, I know more about gratitude
In the just-concluded cold water jug World Cup finals, I often see Wang Bingyu. However, she is no longer the fourth base and captain who sent the “last shot” to the Chinese team, but the organizer and manager of the event. Wang Bingyu said that after being an athlete for 18 years, she now really understands the efforts and efforts of so many people behind every competition.
“When I change to my current identity, I really cherish and appreciate more.” Wang Bingyu said, “Maybe I once said thank you after the game, but now you may really feel from your heart, in every match before you, there were so many people protecting your service. When I was playing in the ice rink, when I wanted to get a tissue, I looked back and saw that the tissue was here. It is not taken for granted. It is definitely considered carefully by someone and served you there.”
During his 18-year sports career, Wang Bingyu experienced the joy of China’s first world champion in cold water jug and the regret of failing to hit the gold medal in the Winter Olympics. She was surprised and happy to continue her fate with cold water jug as a new identity.
“I never thought I would take part in the 2022 Winter Olympics with another identity. You have met many new colleagues and partners, and you have seen many bright spots from them. Although it may not be the same as the previous busyness, you will feel that it is for 2022 step by step. I didn’t get the Olympic gold medal, but I think there may be a little regret in my life…… I already feel very lucky, and for me, I also cherish the current life.”
There are less than 1,000 days before the opening of Beijing Winter Olympics. As the organizer, Wang Bingyu felt the urgency of time all the time.
“I thought before, oh, the original preparation work started four or five years (in advance). After the Winter Olympic organizing committee, I found it seemed to be four, five years is a little too late. Because you will find that there are many things to do, including the construction and renovation of venues, your preparations and knowledge to learn…… Oh, I feel that time is very urgent, as if I really can’t afford to delay for a moment.”
The “sequela” of 18 years of collective life
in November 2018, after joining the Winter Olympic organizing committee for more than 3 months, Wang Bingyu officially announced his retirement through social media. She not only said goodbye to the ice, but also said goodbye to the days of long-term closed training and stay away from her family.
When talking about the dream-chasing years, Wang Bingyu was calm and firm. She said, “Maybe it is a choice in life. When you choose that kind of life, you may not be able to balance everything. So I think in that 18 years, when I went all out to pursue that dream, what I wanted was that kind of concentration and not hesitation.”
18 years of career also left her some “sequelae”. One day after joining BOCOG, she suddenly found that she didn’t have to wait for notice for the holiday.
“Before the National Day holiday, I have been waiting for the Winter Olympic organizing committee to send a notice saying that the holiday will be held on October 1, and I will arrive at the unit before the 8th…… Because the previous life in the team may be that today, the coach suddenly said that we are on holiday now, and then return to the team before 12 o’clock three days later. At that time, I didn’t know when there would be a holiday.”
Farewell to the life of athletes, Wang Bingyu began to try hard to adapt to the existence of the concept of “weekend.
“There are many things in my life that have been modeled, and then I am also changing. For me, you may make me work overtime I am to adapt and take it for granted, sometimes I will not arrange my life on Saturday and Sunday. I told myself that I would enjoy my weekend and my life.”
Wang Bingyu is also looking for a new balance between job search and life in the rhythm of “A Tale of Two Cities. Her 3-year-old daughter is looked after by her parents in her hometown. She will take time to return to Harbin from Beijing to witness the important moment of her daughter.
“If I don’t work overtime, I may go home every two or three weeks on weekends. I will try my best to live every important moment in my daughter’s growth.”
Cold water jug such as life
18 years of getting along with cold water jug day and night, making 35-year-old Wang Bingyu have a deeper understanding of this sport than ordinary people. She said that competitive sports are real and cruel, and she does not believe in tears. However, the process of competition is just like the process of life, and the temporary winning or losing is not all.
“Maybe your start is not very good, you may lose five points as soon as you come up, but that doesn’t mean the result. That process actually requires you to find the reason for losing five points step by step, overcome your psychological and technical difficulties step by step, and compete with your opponents step by step, or in fact, you are playing a game with yourself. Then slowly let yourself not think about the score, the mistake, and how I lost and won the game. You just focus on the present, in fact, life is the same.”
In Wang Bingyu’s view, just like the cold water jug competition, the beauty of life lies in the glue and rivalry, not smooth sailing.
“You may have forgotten the match of 11:1 against your opponent. It is the feeling of being very glued, very competitive, and between gains and losses, which you may never forget in your life. This is the wonderful competition, and this is the wonderful place in your life. If your life is really too smooth, you will find that there may be no aftertaste. It is not easy and simple in the adult world, but it is actually an experience. Each age group has different problems to face. We accept the current problems and then enjoy the present.”
Wang Bingyu has already started his life “the next shot”, and her young friends are still struggling for the 2022 Winter Olympics. She expected them to go all out to pursue their dreams and gave them a sentence they liked.
“” It is enough for the world to be recognized without persuasion, the world to be regarded without persuasion, to be divided between inside and outside, and to defend the land of honor and disgrace ‘. As an athlete, you must know clearly why you work hard here. I think there must be a sense of state responsibility and honor, but at the same time, what is more important is that you go all out to achieve a height or goal in your life. For it, you are willing to give everything and sacrifice everything. As an athlete, you can participate in the competition as the host. The audience cheers for you. You can see the faces and five-starred red flag of Chinese people everywhere and hear the slogan of cheering Chinese people. I think when you stand on the court, you have no reason to retreat, just go all out to run in that direction. There are ten teams on the field, and anything can happen. Everyone will go all out to make all preparations for that moment. I believe they can do it!”
At the same time, Wang Bingyu also hopes that more ice fans can enter the 2022 Winter Olympics and enjoy the sport of cold water jug.
“Cold water jug athletes are enjoying his competition moment, and fans are also enjoying their Olympic Games. Everyone must enter the stadium and feel the atmosphere and charm of the Olympic Games as the host of Beijing 2022. Especially the competition organization in which their Bingyu sister participated must be supported!” She said with a smile.