Sparking Dreams, One Throw at a Time: Zhang Ligang’s 16-Year Judo Journey Ignites Passion in Young Hearts
Zhang Ligang: 16 Years of Voluntary Judo Teaching Ignites the Sports Dreams of Young People
Omnimedia reporter Wei Min, correspondent Wang Lilin, Yan Qiong
Zhang Ligang, a former national judo player, national judo instructor, and provincial outstanding coach, returned to his hometown to teach at Chongde Middle School in Longkou Town, Xincai County after retiring in 2008. He took root in the countryside, taught students judo for free, and trained more than 100 champions in 17 years.
Recently, the reporter came to Longkou Town Chongde Middle School, where Zhang Ligang was instructing students in training. It can be seen that he was merciless during the training, throwing the students to the ground again and again to let them understand the skills of using strength.
In 2008, Zhang Ligang, who had retired from the sport, founded the Chongde Judo Sports Club at Chongde Middle School in Longkou Town, Xincai County. At that time, everything started from scratch. The venue was simple, and he bought training facilities at his own expense. He had no students, but when he found a good “seedling”, he repeatedly visited the students to persuade them. Zhang Ligang, who never gave up despite difficulties, now has many students.
Wang Yifan, who won the 2023 Henan Judo Championship, is one of the students. Under Zhang Ligang’s patient teaching and encouragement, Wang Yifan trained hard and worked hard. After four years of study, he has now become a national first-class athlete.
Zhang Ligang adheres to the concept of dedication and service, and has been deeply involved in the grassroots. He has represented Xincai County in many national, provincial and municipal judo competitions, and has trained a large number of outstanding sports reserve talents for the country. He has “wrestled” more than 100 champions, trained more than 100 national level 2 athletes and more than 20 national level 1 athletes. In 2015, Chongde Judo Sports Club was approved as a provincial youth sports club by the Provincial Sports Bureau and the Provincial Education Department.
In the next step, Zhang Ligang will continue to lead the young judo players to keep their original aspirations in mind and forge ahead, further strengthen training, enhance physical fitness, and improve technical level, so as to promote the competitive sports of young people in Xincai County to a new level.