Zou Lihong, World Champion of Tianjin Paralympic Games: Just like the feeling of driving a wheelchair forward

With only the last few seconds left, Zou Lihong struggled to turn her wheelchair on the straight gray runway, trying to overtake her teammates. However, due to the injury in the body, still left a regret. On April 13, the track and field marathon, the first event of the 10th National Paralympic Games and the 7th Special Olympics, started in Wuqing, Tianjin. This time, Zou Lihong won only the second place in the women's wheelchair race.

Shortly after the match, many media rushed to block the champion, Zhou Zhaoqian from Hebei Team won the first gold medal in the disabled sports.

But in fact, many people may not know that Zou Lihong, 35 years old, won the gold medal of women's wheelchair race for the Chinese Paralympic delegation in the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016 with a result of 1 hour, 38 minutes and 44 seconds, breaking the world record of the event. This is also the first time that China has won the world championship in the middle and long distance wheelchair race, breaking the long-term monopoly of European and American athletes.

Zou Lihong (right first) from Shanghai team won the runner-up in the women's full marathon wheelchair race (T54 group) with the result of 1 hour, 40 minutes and 32 seconds on April 13. (Photographed by Zhang Kaihang, a reporter from CCTV)

"Just like the feeling of driving a wheelchair forward, that moment." After a wheelchair race marathon, Zou Lihong could not lift herself from the wheelchair at all. Because she drives the wheelchair by hand all the year round, her finger joints are much thicker than ordinary people, her hands are full of old cocoons, and her arms are also exposed to wheels for a long time, leaving many scars, which are clearly visible.

These scars and cocoons are the most obvious markers of Zou Lihong from wheelchair racing besides world champions.

After the Rio Paralympic Games, shoulder injuries were the biggest problem affecting Zou Lihong, and even affected her participation in the marathon. "I put a bandage on my shoulder before the game and adjusted it all the way. In the race, when the turning was still one kilometer short of the finish line, I tried to hit it as hard as I could, but unfortunately, because I had been injured for some time before the race and the training was not very regular, so the cardiopulmonary function was not the best. After the match, Zou Lihong took off her gloves and the scar on her right hand was still bloodshot. She didn't want to deal with the wound on her hand, but wanted to drink some water. She carefully rowed across the wheelchair from the crowded crowd and walked away.

Zou Lihong was disabled in one leg, and her right leg was unable to walk because of a medical accident in her childhood. According to the disability rating, wheelchair athletes are divided into four grades: T51-T54. Zou Lihong, who suffered from polio since childhood, belongs to the lightest disability level of T54, and is now a world-class warrior at the peak of wheelchair long distance competition.

Wheelchair race is a race on the runway or highway using wheelchairs. The athletes participating in the competition are mostly disabled people caused by amputation, spinal cord injury and other factors. During the competition, athletes are required to drive wheels or rotate rocking handles to move forward. No mechanical devices or levers can be used to drive wheelchairs.

Eleven years ago, Zou Lihong, 24, came to Shanghai Disabled Persons Sports Training Center from a remote mountain village in Midu, Dali, Yunnan Province, where she began her sports career. Wheelchair racing is the leading role in the track and field competitions of the disabled sports meeting. China has maintained the leading position in Asia for many years, relying on the tireless training of athletes. Zou Lihong is no exception.

The experience of kneeling for 100 minutes in a marathon and pushing the wheels all the time is unimaginable to most people. Zou Lihong chose to sit in the starting stage of wheelchair racing. But in order to improve her performance, she forced herself to change from sitting position to kneeling position. "When I started kneeling, I couldn't get up for a while. I had to move my wheelchair to my room and practice kneeling whenever I was free." Zou Lihong said. In order to reduce the wind speed during the competition, the athletes should press the weight of their whole body on their legs, almost lying on the fast trolley on the car. At the beginning of the competition, Zou Lihong's clothes were all injured every time he came down.

After the match, Zou Lihong was interviewed by reporters.

Because Zou Lihong's left leg is normal, kneeling in the wheelchair is very narrow, so there are four layers of sponge under her right leg in her seat, while the sponge under her left leg is only a thin layer. "Sometimes for a long time, the knee is pressed on it, the sponge cushion is useless, directly pressed on the iron. When the capillary ruptures, it bleeds. Coach Huang Peng told reporters that wheelchair racing, outsiders look like pushing wheelchairs, but in fact, a normal person sitting up even to maintain balance is very difficult, let alone fast driving.

On weekdays, according to the team's training plan, Zou Lihong has to do hand-in-hand ligaments, dumbbells and chest push in the gym every morning; in the afternoon, she has to go to the training ground and run in a wheelchair, 8 kilometers to 10 kilometers a day is the basic amount of training. For Zou Lihong, because she is a long distance runner, running a marathon is also a regular meal.

Since her training in 2009, she has participated in many international and domestic competitions. He won 800 meters gold medal, half marathon gold medal and 200 meters bronze medal in the 8th National Paralympic Games in 2011, and 5000 meters gold medal, half marathon gold medal and 400 meters silver medal in the 9th National Paralympic Games in 2015. Seven years ago, he won a bronze medal in the 800m wheelchair race at the London Paralympic Games.

In October 2018, Zou Lihong was also the flag bearer of the Chinese sports delegation at the Third Asian Paralympic Games held in Jakarta. "Achievement is only a kind of affirmation. Being able to participate in a competition is in itself the greatest praise for winning over oneself." Now, Zou Lihong, the world's major marathon events have been inviting her to compete after the Rio Paralympic Games won the championship. But as the captain of the Chinese wheelchair race team, she always takes part as an elder sister with the young runners who can run long marathons in the team. "China's wheelchair race needs to keep pace with the international competition and keep pace with foreign rivals." Come to grips with each other, and when old players like me retire, young players can grow faster and continue to win glory for the country with this bat.

As Zou Lihong said, although she is 35 years old this year, she already has a lot of experience in participating in various competitions, but because of injury and age, it also has to let her start thinking about the upcoming retirement. "If possible, I would like to retire after next year's Tokyo Olympic Games. I would like to make a further step in my career." At the end of the interview, she received a short message from her husband asking about her health as usual. "Every time, he was most worried about my injuries and illnesses, and his grades were always second." She said with a laugh. Subsequently, the reporter wanted to take photos as a souvenir. Zou Lihong insisted on taking photos in places with flowers and sunshine. "I need a brilliant sunshine to give my body and mind a photosynthesis." This is Zou Lihong's personality signature of the Wechat Friendship Circle. She will retire after the Paralympic Games next year. She is ready to be a mother.

She feels that although disabled people are vulnerable groups, they can also become a brave person with disabilities and strong will through their own efforts.

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