On Aug 7, Xu Shixiao and her partner, Sun Mengya, won gold in the first women's canoe (划艇) double 500 m event at the Tokyo Games. It was also the first Olympic gold medal for China in the event.
Yet Xu's journey to the Olympics was bumpy-she faced lots of difficulties.
In 2013, the news that women's canoeing was still not an Olympic event dealt her a heavy blow.
At that time, Xu's coach suggested her either changing to another sport or retiring (退役) .
It was impossible for her to change the sport at age 21. Xu gave up her career and found her first job as a saleswoman. The next year, she was promoted (晋升) as a human resources manager.
When Xu went to work as usual in a company in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, five years ago, she was surprised to get a call from her former coach, asking about her willingness to return to canoeing and compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Xu quickly made her decision.
"I quit my job, told my family about it and went back to training three days later. There was not much time left for me to prepare for the Olympics, "Xu recalls." I never thought that one day I could go back to the sport. Now that I have started again, I will do my best."
To catch the opportunity to go back to canoeing on the international level, Xu started her training —"as cruel as hell". She began her daily exercises early morning and ended at 10: 30 p. m. Every day, she would set several detailed goals for her training. "Only when I reached all my daily goals, I would go ashore," Xu says.
The more than two months of grueling (艰辛的) training finally paid off. Xu won two gold medals at the 13th National Games in two women's canoe events, which meant she would be part of the national team to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.
