Guangming Daily trainee reporter Li Jie Guangming Daily reporter Wang Dong
On the afternoon of September 18th, the autumn rain continued, and the women’s and men’s rugby sevens finals of the National Games were held in Xi ‘an Institute of Physical Education.
On September 18th, Shandong team beat Beijing team to win the men’s rugby sevens final. Guangming Daily reporter Guo Hongsong photo/bright picture
In the first women’s rugby final in the afternoon, the United team beat Jiangsu 32-0 and won the championship. At the recent Tokyo Olympic Games, China women’s rugby team won the Olympic qualification for the first time, and successfully broke through, beating the Russian Olympic team by 22-10, and finally won the seventh place in the event, historically entering the top eight, creating the best ranking in the history of Asian teams.
The United team that came back from the Tokyo Olympic Games continued its level and style in the Olympic Games. "In fact, this is the third time I have participated in the National Games. This is the first time I have won the championship. I am still very excited." Chen Keyi, a member of the joint team, said at the post-match press conference.
"After coming back from the Olympic Games, we were isolated. During that time, the training conditions were insufficient and we could only train indoors, but everyone did not relax and were fully preparing for the National Games." Chen Keyi said. "I am not surprised that they entered the top eight of the Olympic Games and won the championship this time." Yuan Fengdao, head coach of the Beijing rugby team, said, "Before the Olympic Games, they had a collective preparation for three years, which they deserved."
On September 18th, Shandong team beat Beijing team to win the men’s rugby sevens final. Guangming Daily reporter Guo Hongsong photo/bright picture
On September 18th, in the women’s rugby sevens final, the United team defeated Jiangsu team to win the championship. Guangming Daily reporter Guo Hongsong photo/bright picture
"Beijing team, good job!" "Shandong team, come on!" In the cheers of the stadium, the rugby men’s final started. At the beginning of the game, the Beijing team led the Shandong team by 7-0, but then the Shandong team counterattacked all the way, never giving the Beijing team a chance to score again, and finally defeated the Beijing team by 26-7 and won the championship.
"It’s really a pity today. We made great advantages at the beginning, but we didn’t seize the opportunity later, and there was also a loss of position. Coupled with the influence of rainy days, we didn’t play real strength." Li Xuebin, a member of the Beijing men’s football team, said sadly when he walked off the field.
"It’s not easy for us to come all the way. It has been 10 years since the Beijing men’s team was established in 2011. From the fifth place in the preliminaries to the runner-up, it is really hard to stand in the finals today. " Wang Chongyi, head coach of Beijing team, said, "We entered the finals this time, relying on strength and fighting bravely. The old teammates when the team was built, some retired, some transferred to other teams, and some became coaches like me. Only a few players stayed in the team, but they all became dad-level players. In order to do a good job in this National Games, they rarely went home to reunite with their families and spent most of their time in training. "
When talking about the vision of the future, Wang Zhongyi said: "In fact, everyone still has some ideas in their hearts when they reach the final. Who is not training hard to get to the highest podium? At present, I am very satisfied with winning the runner-up, but I think that in another four years, we still have a chance to hit the gold medal in the National Games. "
Rugby is called "the sport of the brave and the strong" and is very attractive. However, compared with Europe and the United States and other countries with traditional advantages in rugby, China’s rugby "soil" can be regarded as relatively barren. "The popularity of rugby in countries such as Britain and the United States can reach 90%, while in China it is less than 1%." Yuan Feng said.
Rugby originated from a football match in England in 1823. After 1839, rugby was gradually developed in Cambridge University and other schools, and inter-school competitions became more and more active. Later, it became very popular in Britain, America and other countries. In 1900, Coubertin, then president of the Olympic Committee, introduced rugby to the Olympic Games.
However, this sport started relatively late in China, and not many people paid attention to it. In December 1990, the first football team in China was established in China Agricultural University. Subsequently, rugby was gradually developed in some large and medium-sized cities in China.
Rugby sevens is a well-known game in China. The game lasts for 18 minutes, divided into two games, the first half is 9 minutes, the second half is 9 minutes, and there is a 2-minute break between the two games. This kind of competition is characterized by short single game time, fast change of games, fierce confrontation and strong appreciation.
In 2013, rugby sevens was added to the National Games, and many provinces began to actively form their own teams under this background. At present, China has 22 professional football teams.
Regarding the current situation of rugby development in China, Yuan Feng said: "Children in Britain and the United States have been exposed to rugby since they were six or seven years old, while athletes in our country often started to contact it at the age of seventeen or eighteen." Chen Keyi, who won the women’s rugby final this time, also admitted frankly that she started practicing rugby at the age of 15.
"Rugby requires very high physical fitness. Compared with foreign players, the physical fitness of Chinese players needs to be improved. In the face of absolute strength, it is meaningless to talk about technology." Yuan Fengdao said that in the follow-up training, physical fitness is still a very important part of systematic training.
Regarding the development of rugby in China, Ma Jiale, head coach of the Beijing Rugby Women’s Team, said that the rugby foundation in China is relatively weak, and he hoped that the state would support it in policy so that more outstanding people could be discovered and kept playing. The integration of sports and education is a powerful measure to cultivate talents, so that excellent players can not only play football, but also learn. If it can be implemented solidly, it will be very beneficial to the development of rugby in China.
Rugby is a highly antagonistic outdoor sport, and many people are afraid to take the first step. "At first, I was quite scared, especially when I wanted to pounce and be tackled, but I gradually overcame it in practice." Chen Keyi said, "For me, at first I was more concerned about skin color. Later, I fell in love with this sport and felt the charm of this sport. Now I feel that my body is beautiful."
Guangming Daily (September 19, 2021, 04 edition)
Source: Guangming Net-Guangming Daily
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