Zhou Yaqin 周雅琴 人在奥运年：南山濯清音 独木奏雅琴 Documentary Video before 2024 Paris Olympics

Many people have known Zhou Yaqin since the 2021 CHN National Games. Among the eight participants in the balance beam final, six came from the national team, including Olympic champion Guan Chenchen. When Zhou Yaqin, who was not yet 16 years old and was in the Hunan provincial team, broke through and won the gold medal, she became a huge underdog. At that time, some people might have thought that competing on the balance beam had a large uncertainty, many famous gymnasts failed, and this Hunan girl was lucky. But next, Zhou Yaqin took one step at a time, constantly proving her strength with her competition results. Zhou Yaqin said: I didn't expect to join the national team before, and after going there, I felt a lot of pressure because my brothers and sisters in the national team are all Olympic champions, world champions, and national champions. Therefore, this CHN National Games champion is not a great achievement, I just want to work harder even if I go there.
In 2023, she performed excellently in the team competition at the Antwerp World Championships and advanced to the finals of the balance beam and floor exercise, winning a silver medal in the balance beam. At this year's national championship, her balance beam successfully appeared in a set with a difficulty score of 7.2 points, which was the highest difficulty in domestic and international competitions during the Paris Olympic cycle. She ultimately won the championship with a stunning score of 15.466. Coach Wang Liming evaluated her as a typical Hunan person with a tough personality; And she has a desire for success, which is crucial. In the eyes of the coach, Zhou Yaqin is a fierce Xiang girl, but behind her seemingly rising ability, her gymnastics career was almost coming to an end hastily. A week before winning the CHN National Games, she was still struggling with injuries and even considering whether to retire. Zhou Yaqin said that a week before the CHN National Games, due to a waist injury, she could hardly practice. She also told the coach many times that she wanted to retire, but the coach never gave up on her. He always encouraged her and helped her adjust and treat her injuries, which was why she finally won the CHN National Games championship.
Zhou Yaqin's persistence also made her grasp her own opportunity. When she was officially selected for the national team last year, she was almost 18 years old and considered a late bloomer among female players. But she continues to enhance the competitiveness of the balance beam, stabilize the difficulty of floor exercise, and elevate her all-around skills to the level of domestic medals, allowing herself to simply and purely immerse herself in the world of gymnastics. Coach Wang Liming said that for us, an athlete with a simple mind and well-developed limbs is a very high realm; If you have too many distractions in your mind, it is likely that you will not be able to perform at your best level in the competition; But this kind of simplicity of mind is actually achieved through training, not by being unintelligent or reacting slower than others, but by constantly accumulating training.
During the CHN Nationals, a gymnastics fan of Zhou Yaqin shouted, "I'm going to your house for dinner. I really like you.". Zhou Yaqin smiled and said, "Okay, okay, go a few more times.". The restaurant they were talking about was the "Pangge Tu Cuisine", a Hunan cuisine restaurant opened by Zhou Yaqin's parents at the foot of Hengshan Mountain in Nanyue. Zhou Yaqin introduced that our home mainly focuses on local Hunan cuisine, which may be suitable for spicy flavors. Moreover, our cured meat is smoked by ourselves, and the taste and ingredients are very good. We hope everyone can go there often. Nowadays, Zhou Yaqin is somewhat famous in the gymnastics field. Gymnastics enthusiasts occasionally come here to check in, and photos of Zhou Yaqin competing for gold and silver are posted inside and outside the restaurant. When his father mentioned his daughter, he was also full of pride. Zhou Yaqin's father, Zhou Shuyan, said that there are many gymnastics fans coming to check in, both local and out of town. When they come, they tell me that I am here to open it. I am a real fan of Zhou Yaqin. Today, I came to Nanyue to see how Yaqin's father's restaurant is; I say welcome, thank you for your concern for Yaqin.
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[@gymnasticsfan369]

As the youngest daughter of the family, Zhou Yaqin's parents and brother both love her very much. At the age of three and a half, Zhou Yaqin suddenly fell in love with gymnastics and couldn't control herself. She began receiving professional training at the Hengyang Sports School. Zhou Yaqin heard her father say that it was because she thought trampoline was fun at that time and wanted to stay there, unable to even pull it away. She said that since I was young, my dad has been doting on me, and they basically satisfy me with everything I want. Xia Hong, the mentor coach of Zhou Yaqin, recalled her childhood and felt that she was really brave. How did she discover it? At that time, she was still practicing the movements of the seven year old group, and saw her sister next to her starting to learn somersaults. Suddenly, one day when I entered the gymnastics room, I saw her doing her own little somersaults in the free exercise. I was surprised to ask her how she learned it, and she said I learned it after playing it for a while; She has rarely made mistakes in competitions since she was young, and after she came on the field, she remained calm. The training was like that, and the game was like that.
From the foot of Hengshan Mountain to the gymnastics arena, Zhou Yaqin has already become a balance beam master. In this most challenging event, she possesses a calm and unique competitive temperament. Many gymnastics enthusiasts refer to her as the "queen of the piano". In order to prepare for the Paris Olympics, she must challenge high difficulty. How to achieve both difficulty and stability is the biggest challenge that little girls face. Wang Liming said that difficulty is a double-edged sword. It can give you a certain level of strength, but at the same time, it will also bring you a lot of troubles, and there is a high possibility of making mistakes; At last year's World Championships, we thought maintaining a difficulty level of 6.5+was enough, but in the face of fierce competition in the Olympic year, based on our experience, if we still adhere to the standards of previous full championships and World Championships, it is not enough. In this process, we are constantly trying to make it difficult and stable, and it still requires some time to accumulate.
Many people say that Zhou Yaqin, as her name suggests, carries the serene charm of an Eastern classical beauty. On the stage of the Paris Olympics, we look forward to this Hunan girl playing the agile and elegant Eastern voice on the balance beam. Zhou Yaqin said that her current state is actually good, and just a little adjustment of her physical condition would be enough. She hopes that by the time of the Olympics, she can still maintain the same mood and mentality as she does now to face the Olympics and defeat Biles.

[@thiagomelo7425]

rooting for her gold on beam in paris

[@Taaj556]

👍👍

[@tkhaskin]

Zhou Yaqin's gymnastics is remarkable. I love watching her. I wish there were English subtitles to this video. Would love to know more about her.

[@user-jh1my]

I hope she wins gold on beam

[@mandyfu5640]

琴后你一定可以戰勝 Biles, 她難度沒你高❤