An Interview with Zhang Dan: I am more grateful after retiring, and I am closer to figure skating.

Editor's note

The Beijing Winter Olympics has come to us. When we celebrate this prosperous time of ice and snow, we should look back at history.

In the past few decades, generations of ice and snow pioneers have cut through the thorns and interpreted the spirit of China people with sweat, love and persistence.

Their bodies paved the way for the Winter Olympics in China, and they were the pioneers of the ice and snow movement in China.

China flower skating world champion Zhang Dan. Photo courtesy of the interviewee in this article

"No one can be invulnerable, but they can be tempered into steel. During those years in the national team, I tasted all the glory and pain, joy and regret. After leaving the stadium, my love for figure skating has only increased. "

This is Zhang Dan's top Weibo, which almost sums up her whole figure skating career-pain, glory, regret and love.

In the 26 Winter Olympics in Turin, Zhang Hao, Zhang Dan won a silver medal, which was the best record of China figure skaters in the Olympic history at that time. It was not until four years later in Vancouver that Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo rewrote the record.

In the 26 Winter Olympics in Turin, Zhang Hao, Zhang Dan won the silver medal.

The memory engraved on this silver medal is a thrilling moment when Zhang Dan fell hard on the ice after "throwing around". Before retiring, Zhang Dan always thought that moment was full of regret-16 years later, recalling this clip again, Zhang Dan was full of gratitude.

Zhang Dan has now become a promoter of flower skating.

"It's regret before retiring, but gratitude after retiring"

No one would have thought that Zhang Dan, who won the silver medal in the Olympic Games and created the history of figure skating in pairs, wanted to escape figure skating for a while.

Zhang Dan, who was an athlete, devoted herself to flower skating-according to her words, her buttocks and hips have never been better since she practiced pair skating, and it is difficult for her swollen body to bend over and put on shoes before the competition. In order to maintain her weight, she hardly had dinner at that time ... < P > "In the later stage of athletes, this mental stress reached the brink of collapse. It was not physical fatigue and could not be relieved by rest."

In 212, Zhang Dan chose to retire and leave the ice she had been familiar with for more than ten years. "I just don't want to get in touch with the work related to the project, so I want to relax completely."

this kind of mental pressure comes from age on the one hand, and glory on the other.

Zhang Dan Zhang Hao is in the competition.

In 26, Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, known as one of the "three big doubles" in figure skating, were the couple who had the best chance to hit the Olympic gold medal. At that time, their killer weapon "throwing and jumping around" was the most difficult action of double skating.

In the short program competition, Zhang Dan Zhang Hao performed well. Among the three pairs of China groups, she surpassed Shen Xue Zhao Hongbo and Pang Qing Tong Jian, ranking second in the short program, only 3.92 points behind Russian group Totomiana Maxim Marinin.

This means that they have the opportunity to surpass the Russian team and win the championship by "throwing and jumping around". But this action, even before the official competition, has been discussed by the coaching staff and relevant leaders, and the difficulty can be imagined.

"In pre-competition training, I was in a particularly good state, and it was very easy to finish' throwing and jumping around'. My state should be' breaking out in advance'." But this is precisely the reason why Zhang Dan is nervous. She is worried that her state will decline on the day of the game.

On the day of the free skating competition, Zhang Dan was a little abnormal. She didn't exchange technical moves with Zhang Hao as usual before the competition, but didn't say a word. Even from the beginning of the game, my mind was always thinking about "jumping around"

In the end, Zhang Dan made a mistake and fell on the ice. Although she painstakingly finished the competition, she only won a silver medal and missed the championship.

"When you are an athlete, it will always be a pity that you can't stand on the highest podium, because it was the closest we got to the championship."

It was not until Zhang Dan retired for three years that he gradually let go of this regret. It was also at this time that she rekindled her love for figure skating.

"In the 214 Winter Olympics, I watched not only figure skating, but also some other ice and snow events. Seeing the athletes struggling on the field seemed to wake me up suddenly." Zhang Dan, whose mental fatigue was gradually released, gradually recovered to a normal heart. "From that time, I slowly recovered this love for Huashi itself."

When talking about that experience now, Zhang Dan is more grateful. "I am very grateful for that experience, which has given me a stronger heart to overcome problems no matter what my future life or many things are facing."

"Excellent athletes should give back to the project itself"

Most of the athletes in her group have taken up coaching or management positions. Zhao Hongbo has even become the head coach of the Chinese figure skating team, while Zhang Dan is trying to find a balance between art and business.

"I think it may have something to do with my personality. I prefer to try some new things. I think that in a new and new field, being exposed to some new things can enrich myself and learn more." Zhang Dan explained this.

After retiring, Zhang Dan also worked as a coach at first, but she found that she wanted to do more than just teach a few people to skate. Later, she began to try figure skating youth training. "It's lucky to meet a group of like-minded partners."

After opening the youth training base, Zhang Dan turned his attention to ice dance drama. How to combine his professional skills with the needs of the public, Zhang Dan crossed the river by feeling the stones in the whole process. "It's all about taking one step at a time, and then constantly revising and mending, and then achieving a good feedback from the public."

Zhang Dan Zhang Hao starred in the ice dance drama "Walking on the Ice to Dream".

In the creative process, Zhang Dan didn't think too much about the commercial part, but put more emphasis on the process. "We will try our best to think about whether our story is good or not, whether our content needs to be revised, and whether our dance lighting can achieve the effect we want to present."

However, when she finished the premiere of the ice dance drama "Treading on the Ice for Dreams" at the Workers' Stadium in 219, she felt that she had lived up to her original intention after seeing more than 8% of the audience.

"When we first did it, the purpose was to promote figure skating, make figure skating more integrated with business, and let the public have better access to figure skating." Zhang Dan explained his reasons for doing ice dance drama.

Youth training is about dealing with parents, and ice dance drama is about dealing with capital, but for Zhang Dan, what he cares about most is giving back to figure skating.

"An excellent athlete should give back to the project itself after retiring." In her view, these two things are not the embodiment of personal value, and the process of doing things is the source of a sense of accomplishment.

"Because figure skating brought me what I have achieved now, if I can't give something back to figure skating, I may have really failed my efforts and efforts in this project for so many years."

The performance site of the ice dance drama "Treading on the Ice for Dreams".

"After retiring, I am closer to figure skating"

Zhang Dan, who has experienced the hard work of professional athletes, youth training and commercial development, seems to have a deeper understanding of figure skating.

In her opinion, figure skating is experiencing a positive growth state.

"Other ice events may still be too professional for the public and need more talents, but figure skating is a combination of competitive sports and art, which is very in line with the needs of the public."

In her eyes, the change of parents is also obvious. In the past, parents had more utilitarian ideas, "If you can't get results, you won't practice", but now everyone is more interested in cultivating children.

"Although the bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics was successful only in 215, this transformation actually started slowly in 213 and 214. Both ordinary families and families who want to develop in flower skating are increasingly involved. "

"After retiring, I didn't stay in the system, and I didn't get in touch with teams and competitions. I do have some sense of distance in this respect, but I have been promoting figure skating and enjoying it more. From the sport itself, I am actually closer to figure skating. " Zhang Dan said.

Proofreading: zhangyan