Chinese Rowers Won The First Gold Medal

    On the morning of the 24th, the women's lightweight double sculls competition held at the Fuyang Aquatic Sports Center in Hangzhou produced the first gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Chinese team players Zou Jiaqi/Qiu Xiuping won the championship with a time of 7:06.78 seconds.
    Uzbekistan's Islomova/Tagmatova won the runner up with a time of 7 minutes, 16 seconds, and 49 seconds. Indonesian player Kolputi/Putri won third place in 7 minutes, 17 seconds, and 64 seconds.
    The Fuyang Aquatic Sports Center in Hangzhou is located on the south bank of the northern branch of the Fuchun River. More than 600 years ago, Yuan Dynasty painter Huang Gongwang lived in seclusion on the banks of the Fuchun River, leaving behind the famous painting "Dwelling in Fuchun Mountain" among the beautiful mountains and waters. Time flies, and the river surface, where paddling and fishing are depicted in the landscape, has now become a venue for athletes to chop waves and witness the birth of the first gold medal of the Hangzhou Asian Games.
    Zou Jiaqi/Qiu Xiuping reached the final with the first place in the preliminary round. In the final, they took the lead all the way after setting off, and after 500 meters, they were already ahead of the second place by more than 2 seconds. As Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping first entered the audience's view, enthusiastic cheers echoed from the shore. The two accelerated towards the finish line and won the championship with a time of 9.71 seconds ahead of the second place.
    From crossing the finish line, attending the award ceremony, to the post competition press conference, the smiles on Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping's faces never disappeared.
    I grew up drinking water from the Fuchun River and winning a gold medal on it. I am very excited, "said Zou Jiaqi from Tonglu County, Hangzhou." This is my first time participating in the Asian Games and I am very happy to win my first gold medal. Thank you for the support of my family and fellow villagers. "After the competition, Zou Jiaqi skipped through the mixed interview area, her footsteps as light as a heart.
    Zou Jiaqi, you are the best! "Zou Laiyun, the father of Zou Jiaqi who watched the match, excitedly said when he saw the Chinese team hit the line first. Her mother, Liu Lina, had slightly red eyes and choked up to the point where she couldn't say a word: "Today is really very nervous. Being able to win this gold medal is also the biggest reward for her daughter along the way
    Early in the morning, Xu Weihong, the dean of the School of Competitive Sports at Wuhan Institute of Physical Education, who was watching the TV live broadcast, saw students Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping winning the first gold medal of the Asian Games and happily applauded them. Rowing is a sport that focuses on physical fitness, and both of them are very hardworking. However, just practicing hard can't produce results. You need to use your brain and practice skillfully. "Xu Weihong said," Qiu Xiuping and Zou Jiaqi train hard and skillfully, achieving good results is truly worthy of the name, and it is also the best embodiment of the integration of sports and education.
    At the recently held 2023 World Rowing Championships, Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping qualified for the Paris Olympics in the women's lightweight double sculls event. Looking forward to the Olympic Games, this pair of rowing "sisters flowers" have new goals.
    Qiu Xiuping said, "This competition has given us greater confidence. Once we step down from the podium, everything will return to zero. We will work harder to train, prepare for the game, and reach the highest podium in the Paris Olympics, which is our ultimate goal