An interview with ZHANG Guangyue, Technology Supervisor of Competition Management of 2007 Beijing Judo Open

Zhang Guangyue is one of the many managing members involved in the Good Luck Beijing Sport Events Committee overseeing the 2007 Beijing Judo Open in the brand new University of Science and Technology Beijing Gymnasium.

While her current focus is on the 2007 Beijing Judo Open, she has been a tireless and dedicated member of the team organizing not just the Judo Open, but the Judo competition of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as well. It is only right that she be an active and vital participant in this—she was a former judoka herself.

For Zhang Guangyue though, Judo was not her first choice of career. “My father liked sport, and he pushed me to participate in Judo. I was not happy about doing this, but I did not want to disappoint my father, either.”

Judo was for Zhang Guangyue an entirely different world. She became an active participant in it for her father’s sake, but sadly, after her inaugural year in the sport, he passed away. The loss of her father did not stop her from practicing Judo, though. Determined to make him proud of her, she held on.

“While I practiced Judo, I often thought of giving it up. However, I respected my father so much that I persisted for a long time after his death. The thing is, practicing Judo is very tiring, but when you try to give it up, you can’t –you have already fallen in love with it.”

Her dedication paid off. Before turning 16, she was already a winning judoka, having won a Gold Medal in the National Junior Judo competition. Though she did not repeat her success to this level again, she continued to place, winning bronze medals in the National Youth Judo Competition and again at the National Adults Judo Competition.

Despite her achievements, she remains humble: “I couldn’t control a lot of things when I was a judoka. For instance, you could train very well and very hard, but before a match, you might not stay in shape, and you did not do as well as you could. Sometimes other come-into-play factors keep you from winning Gold or placing.”

And it is not simply on the mat where Judo has an effect on her life. In reference to her daily routine, she says, “I found that with time and effort, I can get what I want and I can control it….Even now when I meet with difficulty, compared to my days of being an athlete, I know I can handle this. This is what 16 years [of Judo] have given me.”

As she acknowledges the role of Judo in her life, she also pays tribute to the person responsible for her practicing Judo in the first place – her father. “I stepped onto that road that [my father] wanted to me to walk upon, and I did what he wanted me to do.”

“As a child, I was afraid of disappointing him, but now I can talk to him about how I feel. During the Qingming Festival (tomb-praying festival), I went to see him and told him that in the beginning I hated him for making me practice Judo, but despite that, I feel he can be proud of who I am and where I am because I persisted in Judo.”

Judo has also had a strong influence on her discipline as a student. Zhang Guangyue had to focus on her studies more as a child because her spare time was taken up by Judo. Undaunted by the challenge, she continued her studies throughout practicing Judo: “I was persistent in studying all the time as well, and my hard work and efforts paid off. I earned my degree from a technical college while I was still on the Judo team.”

In 2002 she retired from Judo to pursue a study of law. “Before I took the college exam, I found myself pregnant, and the teacher advised me not to begin my studies until after I had my son. I refused to wait –I need to do things within the time I have allotted for them.” Once the Olympic Games are over, she will continue on her timeline. “I want to become a graduate student majoring in sports sociology.”

It is with this in mind that Zhang Guangyue passed on becoming a coach and instead opted for an administrative position. Her husband, a baseball player, still resides in Shanghai, their home, with their four year old son while Zhang Guangyue works in Beijing. “I chose to come here to work and leave them in Shanghai. My husband’s only comment to me was, ‘If you want to do this, I’ll support you.’”

With the support of her family and over 16 years of experience in Judo, Zhang Guangyue is more than ready to help get things done. “Now I have a chance to join in the Olympic Games to realize a dream that I could never have as an athlete –though I ’m not competing, I’ve finally made my dream come true!”