A Compelling Comeback
I’m going to tell you a story of a two-time world champion Chinese athlete who is making an unbelievable comeback – starting tonight.
Hongbo Zhao, or Zhao Hongbo as you say in Chinese, was on track with his partner Xue Shen to become China’s first Olympic figure skating Champions in pairs skating before Zhao ruptured his already gimpy left Achilles’ tendon during a training session in August.
This is a serious injury, one that would lead most athletes to retire.
They won the bronze in 2002 in Salt Lake and are my favorite pair because they have an incredible combo of “wow, did you see that” athleticism and a magnetic emotional connection to each other and the audience.
I’ve always loved their attitude, and ability to soar when it counts.
Shen and Zhao, on route to their third win at the world championships last year had to pull out because of this tendon.
And now he needed surgery. Not a good thing just 6 months before the Olympics. Going against his doctors’ advice, Zhao was back on the ice by early December2005.
How in the world was he going to be landing triple jumps, a prerequisite for getting even in the top ten, by February. He only started jumping again, in early January, doing single jumps.
On January 28, he landed his first triple toe jump, the easiest of the six triples.
He's been inconsistent on the triple toes since he arrived in Torino, landing some and falling on others, but observers note that he seems to be improving daily.
The thing is, you’re not supposed to do a lot of falling in your Olympic training sessions. Why. Because it leaves a bad impression on the judges.
This is what Zhao’s coach had to say:
“To protect his injured Achilles’ tendon, his left foot has been wrapped up by three layers of bandages. He could barely feel his left foot. As a top-notch skater, if he fell 1-2 times in a training session, under normal circumstances, we would simply stop doing it. Since it would mar his reputation and leave a bad impression to the judges. But today, I’m very pleased he’s not hesitant in trying and adjust his jumps even after falling several times in front of a lot of people here. He has overcome this hurdle, that’s very good news.”
I love this guy. He’s not afraid of anything – even a bad reputation, which I assure, he is not getting, because of his attitude and willingness to persevere. Everyone admires that.
Undoubtedly, Shen and Zhao will have the crowd on their side here, and if Zhao is able to do his jumps, they have the potential to contend for the gold medal and become one of the most compelling stories of the Games.
Look for them in tonight’s short program and Monday’s long program. You’ll get a free lesson in confidence, passion and perserverance.
Warm Regards,
Tania Gabrielle French
P.S. Every great athlete has a great coach. Every high achieving person, has followed powerful advice. So get yours from a Master Now at Prosperous Artist.
Hongbo Zhao, or Zhao Hongbo as you say in Chinese, was on track with his partner Xue Shen to become China’s first Olympic figure skating Champions in pairs skating before Zhao ruptured his already gimpy left Achilles’ tendon during a training session in August.
This is a serious injury, one that would lead most athletes to retire.
They won the bronze in 2002 in Salt Lake and are my favorite pair because they have an incredible combo of “wow, did you see that” athleticism and a magnetic emotional connection to each other and the audience.
I’ve always loved their attitude, and ability to soar when it counts.
Shen and Zhao, on route to their third win at the world championships last year had to pull out because of this tendon.
And now he needed surgery. Not a good thing just 6 months before the Olympics. Going against his doctors’ advice, Zhao was back on the ice by early December2005.
How in the world was he going to be landing triple jumps, a prerequisite for getting even in the top ten, by February. He only started jumping again, in early January, doing single jumps.
On January 28, he landed his first triple toe jump, the easiest of the six triples.
He's been inconsistent on the triple toes since he arrived in Torino, landing some and falling on others, but observers note that he seems to be improving daily.
The thing is, you’re not supposed to do a lot of falling in your Olympic training sessions. Why. Because it leaves a bad impression on the judges.
This is what Zhao’s coach had to say:
“To protect his injured Achilles’ tendon, his left foot has been wrapped up by three layers of bandages. He could barely feel his left foot. As a top-notch skater, if he fell 1-2 times in a training session, under normal circumstances, we would simply stop doing it. Since it would mar his reputation and leave a bad impression to the judges. But today, I’m very pleased he’s not hesitant in trying and adjust his jumps even after falling several times in front of a lot of people here. He has overcome this hurdle, that’s very good news.”
I love this guy. He’s not afraid of anything – even a bad reputation, which I assure, he is not getting, because of his attitude and willingness to persevere. Everyone admires that.
Undoubtedly, Shen and Zhao will have the crowd on their side here, and if Zhao is able to do his jumps, they have the potential to contend for the gold medal and become one of the most compelling stories of the Games.
Look for them in tonight’s short program and Monday’s long program. You’ll get a free lesson in confidence, passion and perserverance.
Warm Regards,
Tania Gabrielle French
P.S. Every great athlete has a great coach. Every high achieving person, has followed powerful advice. So get yours from a Master Now at Prosperous Artist.
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