Gold medalist Li Yi of China's Macao celebrates during the awarding ceremony for the Women's Changquan of Wushu at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Sept 25, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
It came as little shock to the residents of Macao when wushu athlete Li Yi won the first gold for the city at the 19th Asian Games.
Local people believed in her ability. Li has established herself as a world champion, earning gold medals at the 29th Summer Universiade Taipei 2017 and the World Wushu Championships in 2019, the highest-level wushu competitions worldwide.
She has participated in dozens of tournaments and competitions, large and small, over the past decade.
Li is 31 years old and renowned for her reliability. Macao residents call her “Da Shijie”, meaning “older sister” — someone who is mature and capable enough to take care of others.
Before the competition in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Macao’s media hailed her as an athlete to follow, and experts declared her a representative of the city’s long-term strength in martial arts. Even the Macao chief executive, Ho Iat Seng, personally attended her competition to show his support.
Li Yi of China's Macao competes during the Women's Changquan Final of Wushu at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Sept 25, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Li didn’t let the city down. On Sunday, she outperformed her rivals from Hong Kong and Singapore, achieving a score of 9.786 to win the final of the women’s changquan, or long fist, event.
This brought Macao its first and only gold medal at this year’s games as of Wednesday. It was also the first time a woman athlete from Macao had won a gold medal at any of the Asian Games.
A celebratory atmosphere engulfed the competition area. Spectators gave flowers to Li, and media outlets clamored for interviews. Ho, Macao’s leader, shook hands and posed for a photo with her. Later, on behalf of the Macao SAR government and residents, Ho issued a message of congratulations to Li, expressing the city’s pride in her remarkable achievement.
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Li Yi of China's Macao competes during the Women's Changquan Final of Wushu at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Sept 25, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Yet, during an interview after the competition, when asked about her preparations for the competition, Li choked up, shed a few tears, and slowly recounted that an old injury had resurfaced as she arrived at the Asian Games Village, and she had had to finish the competition in some pain.
People applauded her. That was the moment when they realized that, even for a veteran, winning a gold medal is not as effortless as it appears.
There were times when Li Yi would practice until she was drained of any physical strength — to the point where she could no longer walk, and had to “crawl off the field to rest briefly before crawling back onto the field”
In an exclusive interview with China Daily on Tuesday, Li said that veteran athletes have their own difficulties. There is the pressure of meeting people’s expectations, for one thing, as well as declining physical fitness due to aging, and the accumulated injuries from years of training. She had to put in a considerable amount of effort and perseverance to overcome these obstacles to win the gold medal.
Routine perseverance
Li’s wushu journey has spanned over 20 years, from when she was 8 years old.
Her interest in martial arts was ignited when a coach at her elementary school praised her natural physical aptitude and said she had a talent for martial arts. This encouragement motivated her to learn more about the sport.
Initially, Li studied wushu without harboring any grand aspirations. She simply viewed it as a hobby and dedicated her time away from regular studies to training.
It was not easy to remain committed to practicing regularly for what was still a hobby, but Li stuck at it.
As time went by, most of her peers switched their attention to different interests, but she continued to pursue martial arts.
“At first I just did as my parents required, but gradually, persistence became a habit.”
Li Yi of China's Macao competes during the Women's Changquan Final of Wushu at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Sept 25, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Her perseverance allowed her to progress and transformed her into a professional wushu athlete.
With this transition came more intense training.
“To be an athlete requires a constant pushing of physical limits,” Li said.
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There were times when she would practice until she was drained of any physical strength — to the point where she could no longer walk, and had to “crawl off the field to rest briefly before crawling back onto the field”, she said.
Li Yi of China's Macao competes during the Women's Changquan Final of Wushu at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Sept 25, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
In addition, Li’s physical condition was not sufficiently robust to be able to endure the demanding fitness training; she would sometimes suffer discomfort in her stomach and would need to go to the restroom to vomit before resuming activities.
Still, she said, “For a person who is used to perseverance, to keep going on is much easier than giving up.”
Over the past decade, many of her teammates have abandoned wushu, but she has persevered. After five attempts at the World Wushu Championships, she finally won the martial arts world championship in 2019
Her perseverance helped her to excel in competitions.
In 2011, she took part in the World Wushu Championships for the first time, but did not win a medal. By 2013, her performance had improved, and she won a silver medal, but fell short of the top place.
After experiencing disappointments, Li would question herself and lose confidence. However, a few days later, she would reappear at the training site and resume her rigorous training routine.
“Persistence may not necessarily lead to success, but giving up is sure to lead to failure,” she said.
With this mindset, she participated in subsequent world championships.
Over the past decade, many of her teammates have abandoned wushu, but she has persevered. After five attempts at the World Wushu Championships, she finally won the martial arts world championship in 2019.
Gold medalist Li Yi of China's Macao reacts during the awarding ceremony for the Women's Changquan of Wushu at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Sept 25, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Pushing through pain
Following her championship victory, Li and her team set themselves a new goal: to secure a gold medal at the 19th Asian Games.
Old injuries, particularly in her waist and stride, caused by years of high-intensity training, left her in persistent pain. This suffering made even simple daily tasks, like getting into or out of bed, arduous
Previously, Li had won silver medals at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games. But “definitely,” she added, “all athletes want the best result in a competition.”
Various challenges soon emerged.
One obstacle was a decline in her physical capabilities. As she got older, Li could feel a decrease in her overall physical performance. For example, her maximum jumping height had diminished compared to what it had been in her younger years.
“This objective limitation prevented me from harnessing my inherent abilities, leaving me feeling powerless at times,” Li said.
Moreover, old injuries, particularly in her waist and stride, caused by years of high-intensity training, left her in persistent pain. This suffering made even simple daily tasks, like getting into or out of bed, arduous.
While most normal people rise or rest with ease, Li’s mornings and nights became an immense struggle. To get up in the mornings, she had to slowly raise each arm and leg in a delicate maneuver, then gradually sit upright on the edge of the bed before touching the floor. Most people get up in a few seconds, Li often needed five to 10 minutes to complete the process.
Gold medalist Li Yi of China's Macao celebrates after the Women's Changquan of Wushu at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Sept 25, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Due to persistent back and leg pain, even using the bathroom became challenging for Li, as simple motions like bending and squatting exacerbated her agony.
“Sometimes when I wake up, I feel a little bit afraid. I would rather lie in bed thinking, ‘how will I manage to get up and go to the restroom today?’,” Li said.
The pain returned during her rigorous preparations for the 19th Asian Games.
“Old injuries are really common for athletes. We have no way but to bear it,” Li said.
As an experienced athlete, she had learned to manage these discomforts and to keep them under control.
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Gold medalist Li Yi of China's Macao kisses her medal during the awarding ceremony for the Women's Changquan of Wushu at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Sept 25, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
However, upon arriving at the Asian Games Village in Hangzhou, something unexpected happened.
She lost control of her body for the first time ever — she couldn’t lift her arms at all.
As her sport, changquan, involves numerous arm movements, panic gripped her.
She feared she might not be able to compete at all. After a few minutes of anxiety, she made the decision not to tell her coach and teammates about her predicament.
“I didn’t want to make them worry about me, and affect their mood, and performance,” she explained.
Gold medalist Li Yi of China's Macao poses for photos during the awarding ceremony for the Women's Changquan of Wushu at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
After enduring this suffering for two days, the pain showed no signs of improvement, and she finally sought medical treatment.
Urgent treatment from the doctor ensured she could participate in the competition, albeit with a warning that she might experience greater pain afterward.
Leading up to the competition, Li struggled with sleepless nights, lying in bed while counting down the minutes and contemplating what would happen on the day of her competition.
However, when it came to the day of her performance — despite the pain and the pressure weighing — Li relied on her years of training, the countless repetition of her movements, and her vast competition experience to navigate through the games. In the end, she clinched the championship. This triumph means she has achieved gold medals in all the highest-level martial arts competitions across the board.
For Li, it was not only a victory at the Asian Games, but also the culmination of over two decades of perseverance.
Contact the writers at oasishu@chinadailyhk.com
