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Million dollar babies?
By Tang Yue (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-04 08:01
 Ma Xia bandaged her hands, ripped off the tape and then donned her gloves and helmet. All the while, a fearsome glare never left her face."Come on!" she screamed as she stepped into the ring, ruthless and determined, for another sparring session. However, behind her tough and muscular exterior, 19-year-old Ma, a member of China's national women's boxing team, has a "tender" side like most girls of her age. After she finishes her daily six hours of training, she loves to talk about her wardrobe with her teammates in the dormitory, which she shares with three other teenage girls. "A lot of girls in the team have skirts in their wardrobes," Ma told China Daily in Qian'an, Hebei province, where the training base of the provincial and national teams was set up last June. "We sometimes try them (dresses) on in the dormitory over the weekend but no one wears them when we go out. "People think women boxers never wear skirts and that makes us shy to dress up in public." Ma and her teammates are used to such perceptions. They had been living in near obscurity for many years until the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Aug 14 that women's boxing would be a part of the 2012 London Games, a decision that suddenly brought them into the limelight. In a country where virtue used to be seen as the ultimate value of a woman, the sight of girls pounding each other in the boxing ring was too bizarre to fathom for many Chinese. Many believed the sport solely belonged to men; just as rhythmic gymnastics is seen as a women's-only sport. "Boxing is considered brutal by a lot of people and even more so for girls," Ma, from Shandong province, said. "Some of my relatives even worry that it will be hard for me to find a boyfriend in the future (if I stick to the sport)." Now, some of those same Chinese are probably happily counting how many Olympic gold medals the women boxers can win in London.
Their hopes should be high as the team claimed five of the 13 titles at last year's World Women's Boxing Championships in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. As eager as they are for medals and Olympic glory, Ma and her fellow boxers also crave greater understanding from the public. "Everyone saw us on TV and hopefully we don't have to explain to others what we do anymore," said Yin Junhua, a teammate of Ma's, referring to the CCTV news outlets, which recorded their tears and champagne moments after hearing the Olympic announcement on Aug 14. "For a long time, my neighbors only knew that I was an athlete but they never knew I was a women's boxer because they know nothing about the sport. Now they know." While the young girls are excited about being "discovered" through the publicity caused by the IOC decision, team captain Zhang Xiyan, a 29-year-old who has been in the fight game for more than 10 years, is happy but focused. Zhang won World Boxing Association, Women's International Boxing Council and Women's International Boxing Association world titles from 2006-2007. But success in professional ring could not satisfy China's first-ever boxing world titlist as she always dreamt of Olympic glory. The veteran quietly returned to amateur boxing early this year, taking the gamble that her sport would be included in the Games. When the announcement was made, a golden glint appeared in her eyes. "Nothing, nothing compares to an Olympic gold," she said. "Finally, we are recognized and given the right to have an Olympic dream of our own." Zhang heads a group of about 30 hopefuls in the Qian'an camp. The boxers get up at 5:30 am and have a four-hour training session with a brief breakfast break. After dinner, another two-hour session follows. However, their routine has been affected by their new-found fame and the accompanying media attention. Since the IOC's announcement, the team's head coach, Yang Yi, has picked up countless journalists from the bus and railway stations. "No more naps," Yang sighed. No one understands the hard work and sacrifices made by the girls more than Yang. He said their drive comes from a deep-rooted love for the sport and Olympic success is now something they can tangibly aim for. "Very few parents want their daughters to be women boxers," Yang said. "But these girls insist they love the sport and nothing can stop them." Ma is a good example. After seven years of taekwondo training, she switched to boxing last year; right after the training base was established. "The moment I put on the gloves, I knew that this was my sport. It's so cool," she said. It didn't take her long to find out that she was gifted. She won silver at the National Championships in March after only nine months of training. "My nose is perfect for boxing, do you know why? Because those with higher ones easily bleed when being hit, but I seldom do," the girl laughed, while touching her nose. Ma's teammate, Yin, has the same passion. She was diagnosed with anemia after fainted during a training session last year but she refused to quit. After a short recovery period, she returned to training and has not been home since the Spring Festival (Jan 26) although her hometown of Xingtai is only a few hours away. "I'm always tough in the ring but I cried every time I called my mother. I really don't want to quit," she said.
 (China Daily 09/04/2009 page22) |
