In the breezy March of spring, the air in Nanjing is filled with an “athletic atmosphere”. What kind of “chemical reaction” will occur when this surge of enthusiasm for athletics meets energetic students? During the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25, top athletes stepped into Nanjing’s schools to share their growth experiences face-to-face with children and personally pass on the spirit of sportsmanship. On the morning of March 22, renowned shot put champion GONG Lijiao visited Nanjing Nanhua Fourth Primary School, delivering a unique and engaging “Athletics Dream Class” to the school's teachers and students.
“I deal with shot puts every day. The total weight of the shots I throw and the weightlifting I do daily adds up to several tons. Every day, I repeat the same movements, and I have persisted for more than twenty years,” GONG Lijiao shared with the students as she stepped into Nanjing Nanhua Fourth Primary School that morning. She spoke about her journey and interacted with the children.
“What was the biggest injury you suffered during training?” “What was the greatest difficulty you faced?” Faced with the children’s questions, GONG Lijiao patiently answered each one. When asked how she started on the path of shot put, she told a small story: “I started practicing shot put with my childhood friend. Actually, I was just helping her pick up the ball. One day, while she was training, she threw the shot put, and as it rolled toward me, I suddenly thought, ‘This shot put is kind of cute’. So, I threw one myself. At that very moment, my PE teacher happened to turn around and saw it. He said, ‘Your throwing angle and explosive power are pretty good! Why don’t you start training too?’” GONG Lijiao laughed as she recounted the moment she chose the path of shot put. “In the end, I took my friend’s place. It’s a story of how a ball picker ‘replaced’ the athlete.” Her humorous remarks sparked laughter among the students and won enthusiastic applause. GONG Lijiao also encouraged the children, saying, “As long as we have dreams and goals, we can definitely become the person we aspire to be.”
The atmosphere reached its peak with the subsequent “Throwing Magic Class”. Considering the students’ limited strength, the school opted to use medicine balls instead of shot puts. On-site, GONG Lijiao demonstrated standard throwing techniques, and the children eagerly raised their hands to participate, excited for a close interaction with the Olympic champion. “This move is a violation; you need to be careful.” “Your hand should be positioned like this, and you should apply force this way.” GONG Lijiao took on the role of a PE teacher, guiding the students step by step in throwing techniques.
“At first, I was a bit overwhelmed, but then I found it really fun and interesting.” “Today’s class was very exciting and inspiring. It taught me that no matter what we do, we need to work hard.” The students who participated in the “Athletics Dream Class” shared their feelings, saying they had gained a lot and would set their own dreams and work hard to achieve them in the future.
“This event was amazing. I hope to pass on my spirit of perseverance and hard work to every child,” GONG Lijiao said. She expressed her wish to participate in more activities like this in the future, visiting primary and secondary schools to share more professional sports concepts and techniques with children. “I hope that through the spirit of sports, kids can persist in their dreams, complete their studies well, and grow up to become valuable talents for the country and society.”
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