athletes halo behind: sun yangs fingerprints disappeared after long term immersion in water

"Only through persistent effort and continuous dedication can one achieve the brilliance of the highest podium." This is what Sun Yang wrote on Weibo after competing in the National Student Games.

His original words were: From April to September, the long competition season has come to a temporary halt. Relax, be a class monitor, and participate in the long-awaited Borui Boshi class swimming summer camp. [Happy] Seeing the kids enjoying swimming so much is very gratifying. I just want to tell them that only by always keeping national honor in mind and persisting in effort and continuous dedication can one achieve the brilliance of the highest podium.

From April to September, Sun Yang participated in the National Swimming Championships, the World Swimming Championships, the National Games, and the National Student Games, averaging six events per competition. Such an intensive schedule and training intensity are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Five golds at the National Swimming Championships, two golds at the World Swimming Championships, and six golds at the National Games—this is Sun Yang's report card from the major competitions. But as Sun Yang wrote on Weibo: Only through persistent effort and continuous dedication can one achieve the brilliance of the highest podium.No one can succeed easily.

Previously, when Sun Yang was about to fly to Hong Kong for his final preparations for the World Championships, he took a day to return to Beijing. Everyone was curious why Sun Yang was in such a hurry to return to Beijing. According to informed reporters, Sun Yang returned to Beijing specifically to record his fingerprints.

The picture shows a close-up of Sun Yang's fingers in a program filmed by CCTV.

Nearly 20 years of swimming, long-term immersion in water, Sun Yang's fingerprints on all ten fingers have almost been worn away. The visa officer who helped Sun Yang record his fingerprints that day also revealed that Sun Yang's fingerprints were difficult to capture and it took a long time to get them recorded. Sun Yang also stated, "The pain of not having fingerprints is that many fingerprint functions on phones don't work, and every time I need to press my fingerprint, it takes a particularly long time."

In fact, it's not just Sun Yang. Every athlete's glamorous achievements come with a lot of effort, often at the cost of their health.

Do divers keep their eyes open or closed when they enter the water?

"To ensure the accuracy of the movements, the eyes must be open." said diving champion Hu Jia. After the 2005 National Games, Hu Jia was diagnosed with severe retinal detachment and subsequently underwent surgery. For the next two to three years, Hu Jia was almost in a state of recuperation. After a difficult recovery period, Hu Jia chose to return to the diving platform and won the championship.

According to the team doctor of the national diving team, 30% of the members of the Chinese diving team face the risk of retinal detachment. The well-known former diving queen Guo Jingjing also experienced retinal detachment, and her vision once dropped to 0.2, which is why she often squints.

After the Rio Olympics, the Iron Hammer Lang Ping began preparing for surgery. This year, she has already undergone two hip surgeries and is still in recovery.

As a volleyball player, the constant jumping and blocking put tremendous stress on her knees and joints. By the time she retired, her knee wear was comparable to that of a 70-year-old, and her fingers, hip joints, lumbar spine, and cervical spine had all suffered various degrees of injury.

To date, Lang Ping has undergone 12 surgeries. She often jokes about herself: I sometimes feel my brain is very sluggish, probably because I've had too much anesthesia from all the surgeries.

This is a picture of basketball player Kobe Bryant's fingers. You can see that three of Kobe's fingers are taped up. The middle finger is taped due to a previous dislocation, and the other two fingers are bent from old injuries. Kobe's three fingers are almost deformed and cannot straighten normally.

People are wondering how much longer Zhang Jike can hold on. Injuries, injuries, and more injuries! This former Grand Slam winner is now plagued by injuries and has to bow to time.

During the Rio Olympics, Zhang Jike was troubled by a back injury, making it difficult for him to sit or stand normally. Before the Asian Championships, his foot injury again affected his performance. Additionally, Zhang Jike has a congenital lumbar spondylolysis, making him the athlete who has received the most injections in the Chinese table tennis team.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Liu Xiang withdrew due to an Achilles tendon injury. At the 2012 London Olympics, Liu Xiang fell after hitting a hurdle in the heats, rupturing his Achilles tendon. He hopped to the finish line on one foot and kissed the hurdle goodbye.

On April 7, 2015, Liu Xiang announced his retirement through a long post on social media.

48 world competitions, 36 championships, 6 runner-ups, 3 third places. Agence France-Presse commented: "Liu Xiang's injuries led to his retirement. Achilles tendon injuries are very difficult to fully recover from. Even if Liu Xiang returned to the track, it would be hard for him to reach his peak again. Retirement might be the best choice. Liu Xiang remains the greatest athlete in Chinese track and field."

......

Many times, we only see the glamorous side of athletes—the glory of standing on the podium, holding flowers, receiving gold medals and applause—but we overlook the hardships behind it. Competitive sports are cruel. No matter how talented you are, you cannot escape the monotonous daily training.

*The images in the article are sourced from the internet. If there is any infringement, please inform us for removal.