She Rujing is a senior student majoring in business administration at the College of Management and Economics. She took the silver in women’s 800m freestyle and 400m freestyle in group C at the 20th China University Swimming Championship and the swimming trials of the 31st Summer World University Games.

From her point of view, a successful athlete rely more on diligence and hard training than talent.

She Rujing began to swim when she was four. Younger than most of her team members at that time, she lagged behind in both comprehension and physical capabilities. “But I never thought of backing out,” said Rujing. She has sinced then work harder than others to narrow the gap. “The moment my fingertips touched the blue water and my body was wrapped up in water for the first time, I knew that swimming would be my life game and the deep blue world of the swimming pool would be inseparable from my life.”

When preparing for this summer’s competition amid the epidemic, the whole swimming team could not train regularly for over eight months. “As my coach put it, that period was the darkest hour for the university swimming team since its establishment 20 years ago,” said Rujing, "The athletes are all students, and we have to spend most of our spare time training. What make things worse is that the training hall is miles away from the university and we had to ride there in the the coldest winter over the past 24 years in Tianjin. Anyhow, we made it," Rujing said proudly. She thought that the difficulties helped unite the team members more closely and made people cherish their training opportunity more than ever.

Besides external environmental factors, She Rujing herself suffered a shoulder strain during the training and did not participate in the systematic training before the race. On the field, she and Huang Lei, one of her teammates cheered each other at the check-in counter and used aerosols to relieve pain. In the first 50 meters of the 800m freestyle, She Rujing was injured again, but she insisted on and finally finished seconds of both the 800m freestyle and 400m freestyle in women's group C.

“After I was injured, I was very depressed.”She Rujing knew clearly how the the shoulder strain may affect her her performance. “First I have to cancel many training schedules and I might quit the game if the worst happens.” To deal with this injury, her coach drew up a personalized training plan. “I can not swing my arms, but I can practice leg kick to improve the cardiopulmonary function.” The girl is full of gratitude to her coach and teammates as well.

“Thanks to my coach, every achievementwe made is inseparable from his selfless dedication and training; thanks to the companionship and support of my parents and families; thanks to the mutual inspiration of my teammates in training; thanks to the friends who inspire me to go further, and thanks to my own efforts. During the past three years since I enter the university swimming team, all teammates has developed from strangers to friends. Now we are as close as a family. We have built up a great friendship, strong sense of belonging and togetherness.

She Rujing’s idol is Wang Shun (men's 200m medley champion in Tokyo Olympic Games). She learns a lot from him. “Few athletes win a medal purely out of talent. The majority of championship comes from tremendous efforts in training.”

“Swimming not only brings me honor, but also strengthens my physical fitness, and sharpens my will. It enlightens me to be perseverant in my daily life and study, motivating myself to do better.”

When asked what other goals and wishes she has for the future, She Rujing said firmly that she hoped to have a constant positive attitude, whether in studying or training. While striving for more breakthroughs, she wants to stay true to her original mission, finishing her studies in a down-to-earth manner.

By Wu Mengqi

Editor: Eva Yin