Chen gets high kicks from victory
Many taekwondoists avoid high kicks because of the risks involved, but for China's two-time Olympic champion Chen Zhong it's her favorite move,
Chen won the women's +72kg at the World Championships yesterday in Beijing, becoming the first Chinese to wrap up a Grand Slam after winning Olympic and World Cup titles.
"You have no idea how much I have been working on those kicks," said a beaming Chen. "There is some very hard training behind (this victory)."
Many fans still remember the high kicks Chen displayed during the finals of the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics. She was always able to kick rivals' heads accurately whenever in a deadlock or trailing, and she won both finals by big margins.
Chen Zhong from China celebrates after winning the women's +72kg final at the World Taekwondo Championships in Beijing yesterday. Yang Shizhong |
Yesterday's contests were no different. Apart from the final where she defeated South Korean veteran Han Jin-sun 6-4, she scored with high kicks in all four rounds before the final.
"Her high kicks today reminded me of her awesome performance at the Sydney Olympic Games," said Zhang Jinghui, her former teammate and now her coach.
Zhang used to fight alongside Chen and knows exactly how damaging her attacks can be.
She was not worried when Chen was trailing 0-1 against Assulayil Madrigal of Mexico. With two consecutive high kicks, Chen soon surged to 4-1 lead and went on to win the game 8-1.
"I just told her to kick the head," Zhang said proudly. "Clearly her rival was scared by her all-conquering high kicks."
However, Chen's favorite mode of attack is not as simple as it looks in kungfu movies, as the loss of balance can give opponents an opening.
But Chen has her own secret training tricks.
"Just throw a volleyball at me," the 26-year-old Henan native said. "I will show you how I do the kick."
Kicking a volleyball in the air before it drops to the ground is one of her methods. "I also like to kick a life-size dummy made by my coach to polish my skill," Chen added.
Last night's victory gave her her first title at the Worlds after winning two bronzes and a silver at previous championships. It allowed China to top its previous record of one gold and one silver from the tournament. On Friday, Wu Jingyu won the women's 48kg.
"Tonight's victory is huge," Chen said. "The Worlds is always more demanding than the Olympic Games. I just proved I can also become a champion in the Worlds as well as the Olympics.
The win also proved to her doubters that she has fully recovered from surgery in 2005.
"I am back and I am still the best," she said.
Chen's dominance makes her an overwhelming favorite to compete at the Beijing Games next year. China is only allowed to send just two women and two men in four categories.
The team will decide who they will send in June.
"My next dream is winning a gold on home soil," said Chen.
If she does, Chen will make history by becoming the first female athlete to win three consecutive Olympic titles. US veteran Steven Lopez is on course to hit a hat-trick on the men's side after winning the 2000 and 2004 Games.
(China Daily 05/23/2007 page22)
