Sideline Story

B-Girl Liu Qingyi wants to show 'Chinese style' at Paris 2024

Emerging sports including break dancing and sports climbing have injected fresh impetus in the Paris Olympics with more attention from Generation Z spectators. In this special edition of Sideline Story, we speak to two Chinese participants in the two sports, who share their insights of competing at Paris 2024.

Duration:: 13m
Broadcast on:: 31 Jul 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

Hello and welcome to Sideline Sporey, your destination for sports news, analysis and discussions. I am Yangguan. Brick Down Scene will make its Olympic debut at Ongoing Paris Olympics, while sports climbing is returning after its maiden appearance at the Tokyo Games three years ago. How are the emerging sports received in China? How are Chinese athletes looking in those two sports in Paris? In this special edition, we speak to a Chinese Brick Down Sir competing at Paris 2024 and head coach of the Chinese speed climbing team at the Games. Liu Qing Yi has been under bigger spotlights than ever in recent years, after becoming the first breaker from China to claim a medal at an international event during the outbreak 2022 Street Downs competition, and winning the first ever Women's Breaking Gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou last year. In an interview with the CGTN's Xinxian, Liu talked about her Olympic preparation work, as well as her goals for Paris. How's your training goals recently and anything you want to improve specifically? For this period, I have so many things to do because my coaches, I have a lot of coaches, so they gave me a lot of advice. So for me, I need to adjust them and to transfer them to use away by myself. So for now, I just want to use some Liu Xin and some old stuff together, then I can find new feelings because I can't only do the Liu Xin because it's very difficult and I feel maybe no stable. So for now, just try. If I crash, it's okay, but for the Olympics, I think that's the final stage. How did you feel when you won the historical medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games and secured the spot for Paris? What were you thinking at the time? First, I think I'm lucky, so I'm proud I can represent China to compete with this competition. So I will do my best, so then I get the champion, I'm really happy. So then I can go Olympic straight, straightly. So for the Olympic, I also will do my best. Breaking will be making its debut at Paris 2024 and you will be representing China to compete. How do you feel about this and what's your goal for the Paris 2024? I feel awesome and proud, then I just want to show some Chinese style in the Olympic stage because breaking, maybe this is the first time Olympic Games, maybe this is the last time. So I will cherish this opportunity, thanks for our country, giving me this opportunity. So show myself, show myself, show the Chinese style on the Olympic stage will be my dream. So you only started competing internationally around 2022 when you made an instant impact on the scene by winning the first two European competitions you ever entered. One is at the Albrecht 2022 and the other is World Battle 2022. And then you top the podium at the Hangzhou Asian Games. It seems to me that you create histories and make an impact every time you step onto the dance floor. In your perspective, what helped you to achieve these results? Do you consider yourself as talented? I think I got this achievement just about the hard work. Because I think talented, everyone has their talent. But for me, I think because when I training, I think about my moves and after training, I think about a lot of breaking things. So I really love breaking. So I have a lot of passion, I really wanted to do it, so I started too much. So I really love it, then now I can have this opportunity, so I really want to cherish this. So for the battle, I'm really hungry. I want to come here, I want to win, yeah. So for every competition, I will do my best, yeah. So I assume that every big girl or big boy has their own style. What is your style in your perspective? For me, I think power is the most important. If dance, no power, I think I can feel the energy. So for me, I really concentrate on my power with my movement. So also I will show some attitude with my style because I think attitude is also important because if battle, you don't want to win, maybe battle will be better only like a show. So we need to have our attitude to battle. And also, I think for me, the logic also, sometimes the music played, but if you only focus on your movement, but if you don't feel the music and you dance with the music, only to dance your content, I think it's not correct. With breaking now having worldwide recognition as an official sport, you are a part of new generation of breakers working to leave your mark in not just Paris, but in the future. What's your goal in five years or ten years? You mean for the competition or just for dance? For everything, for dance, for your life. I want to fan my think myself because now myself, I think I am also young. So I have more time to think myself, to find myself deep because for now I only dance almost nine years. So before I think if I dance ten years, I think I will be a very good dancer. So for now, I think now my style is not my final style. So I just want to think myself always, then choose a different attitude or different feelings with now, just now. So I think everyone will change. Everyone will get to the new inspiration, new life, just show yourself, dance when you like. Yeah. Okay. One last question. Anything you want to say to your fans, to your supporters? Thank you for your support, I really appreciate it. For all my fans, I can say some remarks, so I will keep going, keep practicing and get my goals for the Olympics. Yeah. That was CGTN Shenxian speaking with Chinese big girl Liu Qing Yi. Zhong Chijin is the head coach of the Chinese speed climbing national team. He is also the former World Record holder in the event. CGTN's juman Dan spoke to him on the national team's targets at Paris 2024, and how coaching is making up his regret from his career as an athlete. You've broken the speed climbing world record six times, and that's before it became an individual medal event at the Olympics. And now here at Paris 2024, when speed climbing becomes a separate medal event, but you're retired and now turn to coaching the national team. You feel like you've missed out on winning China's first golden medal at this event. As an athlete, I certainly feel like I'm missing out, but as a coach of the national team, it's a great opportunity to be involved in the Olympics in a different capacity. I think it's a new challenge for me, although I was not able to participate in the Olympic games when I was an athlete. As a coach, I can make up for my regret if I grasp this opportunity well. I have more responsibility now. As an athlete, I just need to be myself, but as a coach, I need not only to be strict with myself, but also to lead the team and manage athletes. In this way, our team can go higher and further. China's sport climbing national team have had some great performances leading up to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Now, how would you assess the team right now? How's their mental side and what's your focus now in their daily training? At this stage, I think our climbers are actively improving everyone's physical state and competitive form belong to a normal rhythm. I hope they can maintain this good form until the Paris Olympics. I believe they will do well in the upcoming matches. Now, as we enter the final mouth, we need to summarize the deficiencies and shortcomings found in the recent tournaments and solve the problems in training. I hope we will try to get all the details right in the Olympics and achieve our dream in Paris. What's your goal this time in Paris? Are you confident that you can help the Chinese sport sport climbing team get their first Olympic gold? Sport climbing is a new Olympic sport. I think it's a goal for all climbers to win their first Olympic gold medal in a speed event. I hope our climbers can achieve our goals. Of course, I hope they can enjoy the Olympic Games and show the world their level and spirit. Doing well is the most important thing. Speed climbers are sometimes nicknamed "The Spider-Man" or "The Chinese Skekho" by the netizens, as the videos of them completing went viral online as they finished the race on the war in less than five seconds. Would you tell us the secret to this event? Is it a muscle memory? Sport climbing is different from many sports, including track and field's 100-meter events. We need to climb a 15-meter high wall, which is vertical. Sport climbing is probably one of the shortest events in the Olympics. Each sport has its own unique muscle memory and neural memory. In fact, there is no so-called "secret of success". First of all, athletes need to train hard and then really understand the sport. This is what we have to do well. The development of speed climbing is very fast. World record holder Sam Watson says that he's aiming to break the 4.5 seconds. Why do you think this sport can develop so quickly? I think in the scientific system of training, climbers can keep breaking through themselves. I believe that in the future, someone will be able to break in through the 4.5 second. But I think it is still a bit difficult at the moment. But nothing is impossible and I hope someone can do it. That was the CGT and Stroom and Dan speaking with Jon Chi-xin head coach of the Chinese Speed Climbing National team. With that, we end this special edition of Signline Story. For more Paris Olympics news and information, please go to our webpage radio.cgtn.com. Thanks for listening. See you next time. [Music] [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]