If the champion Asian Games, World Championships and Olympic Games is three Grand Slam tennis my career, so Tsinghua University bachelor's degree, master's degree and graduated from the University of Nottingham has made Dr. Cambridge, it is what I want done another grand slam.
- Deng Yaping
Retired in 1997 entered Tsinghua University, won a bachelor's degree in 2001, the same year in September to enter the University of Nottingham, December 12, 2002, a master's degree, the same year to enter the professional doctorate in economics from Cambridge University. Deng Yaping by studying the road all the way to struggle tells the story of a world champion cantilever years studying ......
Tsinghua University: From start to write 26 letters
"When approaching retirement, I began to design their future path, some people think that athletes can continue to work in their familiar sports projects, but I just want to prove: Players can not only play well, but also can do other things. someday I improper athlete, I will start a new starting point. "Deng Yaping said.
"At the end of 1996, I was nominated as a member of the old Sa International Olympic Committee Campaign Committee. I understand that this is both the IOC reuse and trust, but also a challenge. IOC office language is English and French. However, , when my English foundation is almost zero, the French also know nothing about. faced with such important jobs and their own foreign language proficiency contrast, I was anxious never ending fire. "
After the end of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, when Deng Yaping identity of English Majors beginning to Tsinghua University, her English is almost a piece of paper, neither English foundation, let alone spoken ability to communicate.
"With excited yet disturbed feelings towards Tsinghua University teachers want to see my level - you write 26 letters of the alphabet to see my thoughts finally took a while to write out, looked for a while uppercase, lowercase while letters, I am a little embarrassed - teacher, you look like a teacher but please rest assured that I must work hard. "!
"When the teacher tells the class for me is tantamount to the bible, I just try to listen to every word, remember, back to the dorm, and then a little bit of a dictionary, a little bit hard to chew hard to remember. I give myself develop a learning plan: everything from scratch, adhere to the three first - the first page from the textbook to learn, from the first letter of the first word on her own; one day must be guaranteed 14 hours of learning time, 5:00 every day get up, standard pronunciation, the word back, practice listening until formal classes; finishing the evening lectures, homework, until 12 o'clock at night. "Because threw himself into learning, Deng Yaping almost completely abolished gathering with friends and irrelevant social activities. even to the number of times parents call is also greatly reduced. In order to improve their listening and speaking ability, in addition to regularly patronize her language lab, also bought multifunction repeater. Because of always listening to tapes while read along. Classmates would joke with her: "! Yaping, you read all day non-stop, beware lips grind the cocoon it!" "But I believe: no pay Superman, Superman would not have results for many years and this is my career personal experience of the game. "
Learning is intense, every day of the courses are very full. In addition to learning, Deng Yaping, also three times a week between tens of miles way into the national team training base for training, fatigue can be imagined.
"Every morning when wake up, I will find a lot of hair on the pillow, there will be a lot of hair when the hair fell off and I do not care about this, but added the coach and teammates see me very surprised: 'Deng, you ? how the 'I said:' nothing could be learning to play with the brain and the brain is not the same as it '. "
"Though it is a 'bitter' word, but this time I have a different feeling: In the past when the athlete, training really too tired to move, as long as one to hear the cheering, a bite, survived; encountered problems , off Hom, a coaching instructor, pass; difficulties game, the audience burst roar, the momentum up, turned the corner but reading it, often all alone facing the wall trying to come up, kind of hard, lonely is another kind of torture. no will, no perseverance is not get in. "
In order to quickly master the English language, several English teacher suggested Deng Yaping to go abroad to study for some time, and in their eagerness to help, by Tsinghua University and the State Sports General Administration approval in early 1998, just a few months at Tsinghua read as Deng Yaping exchange student was sent to the University of Cambridge English assault.
Cambridge: get up at 5:00 every day to study
February 26, 1998 Deng Yaping with mixed feelings, fly to Cambridge. For her, it is naturally very rare opportunity, and yet was a tough start.
"The next day is a school day in class, the class a total of nine students, the classroom is not big, nine desks and chairs toward the blackboard, placed in a semicircle. The teacher let everyone introduce themselves. Next to each issued two began to lecture handouts, classroom discipline is nothing to explain is also very casual, while the teacher lectures, the students were in animated conversation while rushing to answer questions. I finished in a muddle in the class. forty-five weeks later, five, six hours to pay, but there has not been great every day, to improve their English was not significant. as a late admissions to catch up with other students too difficult. plus there is no textbook, each class in order to get the teacher made lectures, this teaching method is also difficult for me to adapt. "
"Life's environment is not satisfactory. To Britain to study the students, most of them living in the school arranged by the British at home, I am no exception. The British wanted to live in the house, one can learn more about the UK the customs, secondly, to have more opportunities for English conversation, but I live in this house landlady, too far away from school, meals and room rate is very high, in addition to the monthly rent to pay more than 200 pounds, but also to pay more than 100 pounds meals, two combined monthly expenditure of about RMB nearly 5,000. for the British at their own expense to go to school for me, equally important treasuring gold and cherish. "
"I remember when I first wore rain sportswear, riding a bike to school, many students have met with bewildered: how world champion also ride a bike to school yes ah, the world champion is mortal, I am all that? I sweat, which is hard to come by, I have to cherish it. difficulties in learning and life bothered me, and I eagerly look forward to change that. "
"Arrived in Britain soon, I would like to send some money home, but took the list to the post office, but I do not know how to fill the post office people pointing at the list, I was bewildered, I stood in front of the post office, two trance, how can I do? ask who to go? asked that he could not understand, finally, he had bitterly. "
"Before the semester begins, to make me familiar with the environment, the landlord drove me to school in a circle. The next day people do not send, although I bought a bike, but can not find the way to school, Qiguaibaguai , has been rushed to the school to class. I was born when the late always punctual. I am anxious that bursts with a few words of explanation, however, does not explain understand that taste, that distress, now forget! "
Deng Yaping attended Newham College is a small college under the University of Cambridge, similar to the domestic language training institute. The students here are mainly foreign students based, and Deng Yaping is the only student from mainland China.
"Arrived in Cambridge at that time, although I am more hard, the effect is not obvious, I know, this is because their language foundation is still quite weak, in order to stand firm in Cambridge universities in this elite gathered, learn better , more needs to go all out to fight. scholarship and sports training, as there is no shortcut to be found, the United States will not have the thing of a dream come true, all strive and work hard on their own to fight it. "in order to catch homework, Deng Yaping from dawn to dusk, slept only a few hours a day.
"The beginning of a month or two, did not understand what the teacher speak on it, I put all the teacher wrote on the blackboard something copied again. Back home in the future, the ability to turn their own dictionary, look at every day of life is more monotonous, class time is four and a half hours. there are a lot of homework after class, it seems to me to eat very cumbersome, noon break time is only one hour, I generally do not back to the dorm, is to eat in the morning brought sandwiches and then look for a while a book at night often eat is to do their own noodles add green vegetables, tomatoes and eggs almost every day to learn to sleep until 12 o'clock. "
While the basic worse than other students, she was always willing to, want more than others. This Yoshikatsu psychology then slowly began to change: "After all, a different basis, from athletes to students is a very big turning point rise should have a learning process."
Back Tsinghua University, Deng Yaping thesis entitled "History and Development of the national sport." From the opening report, for the first time to submit papers, as well as the final revision papers, each of which Deng not only meet the standards, and advance step by step, in time for the complete schedule.
"I finally earned his bachelor cap, at the graduation ceremony, I addressed the teacher fluent English."
Nottingham: a look at her learning momentum knew she was world champion
In September 2001, Deng Yaping from Tsinghua University of Nottingham study into the Masters. "Originally prefer to Cambridge, where the scenery pleasant, I was thrilled. I still go over the University of Nottingham, Nottingham because the UK has the best Foreign Language Department."
"I do not know mentor, seemed not to worry, worry about an athlete can complete their studies teacher said to me earnestly: I may be worse than the other students in your foundation, you too kind, others can understand course, I may be twice or even more times, others need a year, I may take a year and a half or even two years. but no matter how much force charges, how long I have to win to school! I was supposed to be stronger , patience is also very human, so do any one thing, will do their best to do a good job. "
"In the UK, there are two ways to repair the master's exam-oriented education is similar to the one is on a course to test one, until through all courses;.. Another is to do with the research mentor, doing the paper after the end of the study, if dissertation can graduate, I took a second approach. here is more difficult than the language of learning, and the country is really quite different. I have my own mentor, but not often meet. he often gave me provide a list of books to read, I go to the library or university to find a book, then read on. With the problem was and he make an appointment, answering At the beginning, I'm not used this way. and the direction I'm taking that 'China Contemporary Research ', and it seems a popular professional sports irrelevant, even if the library is not necessarily related materials. in this way, I have to go in a different libraries and universities. However, it now appears, this is my abroad one important achievement of learning new ways of learning so I learned to find the goal in the complicated case approach. "
"When playing, two are 1.5 vision, decreased rapidly after school, and now have one eye has a 0.6 learning and playing is totally different compared to, lack of sleep, classes are always sleepy, eyes open, the more take the more sleepy, anxious to root sticks with the eyelid hold up may be sitting opposite is a teacher, and you can not sleep, let alone attention span. this feeling is particularly evident at the beginning, then slowly adapt to this life , I know how to arrange work, find some rules. "
"My research topic is" From bound feet to Olympic champion ", with examples is the Chinese women's table tennis team. In order to study this subject, I read some research material on the Chinese female athletes, mostly written by foreigners. these foreigners did not really understand the lives and upbringing Chinese female athletes, so their study is not in place. I want to be able to start from me, it was really concerned about the study of Chinese women and Chinese women athletes. I also hope that by studying abroad at work will be able to avoid misunderstandings due to cultural differences caused by the East and West, in order to better introduce China, let the world understand China, while in the international sports community, to make people understand your opinions, your ideas are not easy to accept thing."
She took momentum when playing on the study. Ordinarily teacher arranged for the course was already saturated state, there are weekly classes every day, weekend work is not easy, do stop work but also prepare for the next week's lesson, again and again. But she still felt "absorb" enough.
No wonder, she was really worried. Deng Yaping just put down the racket children, became the IOC Athletes' Commission, a young member, she can not wait to attend the meeting immediately speaks fluent English. Thus, the table tennis world champion with heart quietly sprouted earlier desire to enter the senior class, next year to enter the Master (Master's degree).
During the classes in the University of Nottingham, Deng Yaping always rushing to seize every opportunity to speak. The teacher joked that she learned from the momentum can see that she is a world champion. "After class, I had another teacher hurried there to do individual counseling, which is a separate question for each school tutoring time students encounter in learning different and special arrangements. Before each went out to meet my the teacher will help me prepare presentation materials, correct my tone of voice and speech of ways. in addition to a special school I took a course, taught me how to conduct interviews in English. I live in a typical school students three one wire life, and those on campus ordinary girl is no different. "
"The master's degree I can not get non, but be sure to get in foreign universities." In that case, in which China's Olympic champion, she could and took a first. As a student at the University of Nottingham, Deng Yaping daily schedule is tight. "In addition to the class-based language, but also the lesson of the English Department. There are a lot of homework after class, lunch break time of only one hour."
"For me, over the language barrier still has another meaning. I was a member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission, is also responsible for a project of the ITTF, if you can not communicate with others, then everything is zero. At the same time there is also a public image that I am, after all, on behalf of China, also on behalf of the Chinese athletes, the spirit is very important. "
A year later, Deng Yaping face strict examiner, presented papers in English 30005 thousand words - "From bound feet to Olympic champion." Informative material with vivid clarity and forceful arguments discusses the enormous changes in China and the development of women and women's sports in China. The examiner's conclusion is consistent spot: once by unconditionally! December 22, 2002, she obtained a master's degree to do so. Mr. Samaranch praised her "have the key to open the door to the world."
So far, since 1997 he entered Tsinghua University, Deng Yaping has spent nearly six decades in the campus and its own year of primary school "education" to postgraduate education. Deng Yaping frankly, from athletes to students, especially a student, her effort and no less to play. "From the ignorant to skillfully communicate in English and professor of English, from unfamiliar to friends all over the UK, from the confusion at the beginning to later meet the challenge, every step very hard, but living abroad to open up for me a door, so I really understand the world. "
In the meantime, she also serves as a member of Beijing's Olympic bid, he went to Moscow to Beijing win the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games made a contribution.
July 13, 2001, Deng Yaping appealed in fluent English to the International Olympic Committee: Please give Chinese athletes a chance, let us do a host of the Olympic Games!
Return to Cambridge: learning, hard work and quick-frozen dumplings
Knowledge, no end. In 2002, she was like a long-distance runner, and standing at a new starting line, start a new struggle - Cambridge confidently pursuing a doctorate in economics, research direction is "the impact of the 2008 Olympic Games on Contemporary China," Deng Yaping's "China research "and to continue.
2003 February 24, is studying for Cambridge Dr. Deng is back in the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, began a new busy. "I was in Cambridge mentor Peter Nuremberg a world-renowned economist, has studied Chinese economy more than 30 years, he knew the importance of the 2008 Olympic Games in stimulating the Chinese economy, there will be a high research value economy, he thinks I came back, not only to serve their country, but also to collect valuable first-hand material for the paper, so he granted the land I return home while working, learning. future work is very hard, but this is a very good chance. "
2004 Spring Festival holiday, to catch up on her PhD thesis at Cambridge University, gave up reunited with their loved ones, buy a bunch of frozen dumplings, dumplings meal a day spent with her holiday.
"Some people might think I am this is asking for trouble, and some even say that you get a lot more than honor, do not pursue what degree later in life can still doing well, do not even read a degree so hard, and even might find ' Gunners' ghostwriter to write papers, but my school to college is not to 'gold-plated', I go to school just to fulfill their dream of reading. from my own contacts with foreign friends in the deeply felt lack of knowledge, poor communication. despite poor foundation I do not want to cut corners opportunistic, not to mention I attended Tsinghua University, Cambridge University and other famous international scholarship, can not tolerate fraud! "
Dumplings can be frozen, talent is difficult to crash. Deng Yaping academic success and playing table tennis glory, in fact, she has not benefited much talent. On the contrary, regardless of school or play, she is in a situation not very favorable natural conditions, by perseverance, by aggressive attitude to life, overcome difficulties one after another, on the road of life and constantly strive for new gold medal.
"I'm still the IOC Athletes 'Commission, Sports and three members of the Environment Committee and Reform Commission. In particular Athletes' Commission members are famous Olympic champion, has its own rights and interests represented, for a long time I was the only Asian member, so I not only represents China, but also on behalf of Asia, has the responsibility to fight for their rights in Asia and the third world countries athletes. "under Deng Yaping efforts have been made in the athletes' Commission to the IOC Executive Board there must be a (total of 8) recommend Asian members when elected IOC members.
Her doctoral studies in Cambridge also has been the second year, comes to school, Deng Yaping said:. "Difficulty, so hard, I feel a lot of pressure all day long is Bengzhuo, so it feels particularly hard but I want to when students thanks to this experience because it allowed me to see another world, found their new value. If the Asian Games, World Championships and Olympic Games champion of three Grand Slam tennis my career, so in Tsinghua University bachelor's degree, master degree and PhD in Cambridge has made the University of Nottingham, is what I want to complete another Grand Slam. "
Hard work, hard work, hard work again! Whether an athlete or a student, Deng Yaping their requirements are almost demanding: "! Must do a good job, I have no reason to do well." This is a self-confidence!