Olympic hero Yang Qian insists her new-found fame won't unsteady her aim as she targets more glory.

The 21-year-old shooter bagged two gold medals at Tokyo 2020 and became the darling of the nation thanks to her now-iconic podium pose.

However, amid all the attention, she is determined to keep the focus on her athletic career.

"It's an honor to have the support from all the fans, and I really appreciate that. I will try my best to play my role and to show more positive energy to the public," said Yang, during a livestream interview with China Daily on Weibo on Saturday.

"Also, the end of the Tokyo Olympics is not the end of my career. I have many more championships to compete in. My family and friends are for sure proud of me, but as for myself, or any athlete, we need to have the correct mindset and stay focused on our training."

Yang bagged the first gold medal of the Olympics by winning the women's 10-meter air rifle event.

Making the shape of a heart with her arms as she stood on the podium and charming the nation with her endearing TV interviews, she instantly created a feel-good factor that set the tone for the rest of Team China's fantastic Tokyo 2020 campaign. The university student later pocketed a second gold in the 10m air rifle mixed team competition.

Barely known before the Games, Yang now finds herself with 3 million Weibo followers and, even now, the subject of dozens of trending topics on social media.

Yang told China Daily that her meteoric rise has been a lot to process, but says what matters more is how she's grown throughout the journey.

"I actually didn't think too much when I stood on the highest podium at the Olympics. I was surprised and really happy. I did not expect to win the first gold," she said.

"At that moment, there was nothing but pure joy in my mind. But as many athletes have often said, the second we step down from the podium, everything starts from zero again."

China has grown accustomed to beginning its Olympic medal haul in the shooting events. Du Li, for example, won the delegation's first gold at the 2004 Athens Games, also in the 10m air rifle.

That brought added pressure for Yang, however she explained that, by focusing on the "process" as opposed to the result, she was able to hold her nerve.

"Of course, I was under very high pressure, and that's the same for all athletes. What we can do is to find a way to cope with the pressure," she said. "We might try to do something interesting apart from just training. And we will try to have a positive mindset and encourage ourselves.

"However, I try not to think too much about the result. The result is actually out of your control. What you can control is the process. As long as I try my best during the process, I'm satisfied with myself.

"You are unable to predict the final result. For instance, in one match I might have already shown the best of myself or even produced a better performance than in my regular training. But what if there is someone else who performs even better than you at your peak? It's not a certainty that you will always emerge as the champion."

Work ethic

Yang is adamant there is no secret behind her success, just good old-fashioned hard work. However, she admits that her tough training regimen almost pushed her to the brink of quitting shooting.

"Suddenly one day I felt so exhausted and I just did not want to continue training. I told my coach and my mom that I wanted to go home," she recalled.

"I called my mom, telling her to pick me up to return home. But my mom told me, it's you who picked this sport and you need to be responsible for your choice. You need to keep trying. And thankfully I didn't quit.

"I was too young at that time. When I first practiced shooting, I really envied other kids who had normal weekends, summer and winter vacations. I always had to train and it was impossible for me to have a long vacation without shooting. I could only have very short vacations, maybe just one day off a week.

"Before I practiced shooting, I barely knew anything about the sport. So I was so curious about it, and I really wanted to have a try. Actually, my parents did not support me to make this choice, but I just insisted. They respected my choice."

Yang, like most of Team China's athletes, will compete at the 14th National Games in Xi'an, Shaanxi province next month. After that, Yang plans to resume her studies at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, where she is majoring in business administration.

"After the National Games, I will return to university and pay more attention to my academic studies. I'm not only an athlete, but also a student," she added.

"The pressure at university is manageable. Usually, we have half a day devoted to classes and the other half is training. At night, we normally have some optional courses to attend. If it's possible, I want to pursue a master's degree."

Faced with such a busy balancing act, Yang says she tries to focus on the most urgent tasks at hand, and then finish each one by one.

"When I need to study, I will just focus on studying. When I need to train, I will try my best to train. And when it's time to relax, I will use the time to have some fun. So I just don't think too much about another task when I focus on one thing," she said.

"It's not easy being an Olympic champion and a student of Tsinghua. I was under major pressure before the national college entrance exam, and before the Tokyo Olympics, I felt the same pressure.

"Even having won the Olympic golds, when I return to school, my classmates will treat me the same as before. And I will just be the original me.

"After all, there are many outstanding people among my classmates, and there are other world champions in my university."

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)