China
22:00, 07-Mar-2018
Male judo player devotes 16 years as training partner for female judokas
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For the past 16 years, Liu Leilei has helped others reach the heights of stardom without stepping out of the shadows. His job not only deprived him from the same chance as his "colleagues" to shine, but constantly brought him to his knees – 300 to 500 times a day, according to his estimates.
The man from east China's Shandong Province is a training partner for members of China's national women's judo team. Throughout his career, he has helped more than 20 professional players win world championships.
Having been subjected to different kinds of kicks and throws by judo players for over 2.8 million times, Liu has been hailed as an unsung hero by Chinese netizens since his story was featured on the second season of the CCTV's reality show “Happy Chinese.”
Photo via Youth.cn
Photo via Youth.cn
Before turning into a human "punching bag," Liu was himself a judoka.
In 2001, at the age of 16, he was selected for the national team because of his outstanding skills and excellent performance in domestic games. The man had big dreams and ambitions, including bagging a golden medal for his country.
At the time, the women’s team had better chances of winning world championships than the men’s team. But finding a training partner and competitive rival for female members was not an easy task.
Liu took a decision that would keep him on the mat but would drastically change his career path. He gained the label "knight" among his female peers, but lost his chances of going big in the world of judo.
Liu never expressed any pain when female players threw him with all their might to the ground, even if injuries ensued.
“If I cried, they will not use their maximum strength to wrestle with me. Then they will make no progress, which is unacceptable for me,” he said.
Photo via Youth.cn
Photo via Youth.cn
When preparing for the 2004 Summer Olympics, Liu injured himself seriously in order to protect the lead player Liu Xia, who eventually snatched the silver medal in Athens.
"Half of our medals belong to Leilei," the athlete gratefully said on the show.
"Training partners have to imitate the tactics of our rivals from different countries. They help us know about ourselves as well as our opponents," said Sun Fuming, a female Olympic champion who has previously trained with Liu.
Liu reportedly helped nearly all of the country's female champions during his career, which ended last November. He retired as the longest-serving male training player on the national team.
Photo via Youth.cn
Photo via Youth.cn
Liu is one of an army of invisible men and women who help China's athletes create miracles on the international stage.
Wu Dajing, who won the only gold medal for China last month at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang in the men’s 500-meter short track speed skating event, was a trainer player for female athletes seven years ago.