Xu Haifeng on the podium. Xinhua news agency
Xu Haifeng was awarded the titles of "Pioneer of Reform" and "Most Beautiful Struggler".
Raise your gun, aim and fire … …
The time is fixed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. China’s Xu Haifeng shot the last shot and won the men’s pistol slow-fire competition with a total score of 566 rings, which achieved the breakthrough of "zero" in the China Olympic gold medal, and Xu Haifeng’s name was written in history.
Xu Haifeng was born in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province in 1957. In 1972, he returned to his native place in Anhui with his family and settled in xinqiao town County. In 1982, he joined the shooting team of Anhui Province, and in 1983, he joined the national team to participate in the Olympic training. On July 29th, 1984, Xu Haifeng won the Olympic Games. At the awarding ceremony, March of the Volunteers played in the Olympic Games for the first time. When he heard the news, IOC President Samaranch put the gold medal on Xu Haifeng’s chest. He said excitedly, "This is a great day in the sports history of China. I feel honored to personally award this gold medal to China athletes."
Two months after the end of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, Xu Haifeng made a decision: donate that precious gold medal to the History Museum (now the National Museum of China). Xu Haifeng said: "My success stems from the strength of the country. Only I can see it at home, but it is more meaningful to let more people see it in the museum than at home. "
After winning the Olympic Games in 1984, Xu Haifeng participated in two more Olympic Games: at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, Xu Haifeng won a bronze medal; At the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Xu Haifeng won a fourth place and a seventh place. Subsequently, when Xu Haifeng participated in the 1994 Asian Games, his performance began to decline due to his eyesight problems. In 1995, after retiring, Xu Haifeng took charge of the women’s pistol project of China Shooting Team. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Li Duihong, a member of Xu Haifeng’s team, won the women’s pistol gold medal; At the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, another member of Xu Haifeng’s team, Tao Luna, won the women’s air pistol gold medal.
"I have taken 40 athletes, many of whom have won world championships." Xu Haifeng said: "To be an athlete, you only need to master yourself, but being a coach is different. A coach needs to lead a group of people with different ages, personalities and psychological qualities to work hard towards a goal and achieve good results in the same time. This is very fulfilling. "
In 2017, Xu Haifeng retired. After retirement, Xu Haifeng is still busy. He actively promotes sportsmanship and conveys the positive energy of hard work.
In 2018, Xu Haifeng was awarded the title of "Pioneer of Reform"; In 2019, it was selected as "the most beautiful struggler".
People’s Daily (June 7, 2021, 06 edition)