中國首位奧運拳擊冠軍:鄒市明

For Zou Shiming, the trim boxer with a wispy mullet and a quick wit, 2008 has come to define his life. "It's my lucky number," he explains, referring to the year in which he won China's first Olympic boxing gold,as well as to the last four digits of his cellphone and licence plate.

對於身材瘦小、髮型流行且思維敏捷的鄒市明而言，2008已成爲他生命中不可磨滅的印跡。"2008是我的幸運數字，"他解釋道，他指的是他贏得中國首枚奧運拳擊金牌的那一年，他的手機號和車牌號碼的後四位也是2008。

It was a landmark year for many, even those far away from the Olympic podium. Beijing seized on the Games as a chance to present the new face of a modern China, and the world snapped to attention, with dozens of world leaders including the US president attending the elaborate opening ceremonies in the Bird's Nest.

對於很多人而言，那是具有里程碑意義的一年，即便對於那些遠離奧運會領獎臺的人也是如此。中國以2008年奧運會爲契機，展示了一個現代中國的新氣象，世界也予以大力關注，包括美國總統在內的多位世界領導人蔘加了在鳥巢舉辦的美輪美奐的奧運會開幕式。

For Zou, a light flyweight boxer known for his quick step, the things he remembers are more mundane: how he couldn't sleep the night before his final match as his mind raced through boxing scenarios. How the TV stations that morning kept saying China's gold medal count stood at 49, and that maybe Zou would win number 50. How he took a nap after breakfast.

對於以動作快而聞名的48公斤級拳擊運動員鄒市明而言，他記得的事情更爲平凡：在決賽前的那個晚上，由於他滿腦子想的都是各種拳擊動作，以至於無法入睡；當天早晨電視臺報道稱，中國的金牌總數爲49枚，鄒市明或許會贏得第50枚金牌；早飯後他小睡了一會。

And how utterly disoriented he felt when he won. "When the result was announced I just didn't expect it to be settled in that way," he says. His opponent, a tough Mongolian named Purevdorjiin Serdamba, injured his shoulder and withdrew from the second round of their match, handing Zou the gold. "I had always thought that the final rounds would be close and the fight would be intense. Then all of a sudden I was an Olympic champion," he recalls. "In interviews after the match I was sputtering and could hardly tell which way was up."

他也記得，當他獲勝時，他的心緒一片茫然。他說道："當結果宣佈時，我真沒想到事情就這樣結束了。"他的對手——強悍的蒙古選手普雷夫多吉•塞爾丹巴(Purevdorjiin Serdamba)———因肩傷退出第二個回合比賽，將金牌拱手讓給了鄒市明。"我還一直以爲，最後幾個回合雙方將勢均力敵，我們會激戰一場。接着，突然之間，我變成了奧運冠軍，"他回憶道，"在賽後接受採訪時，我簡直語無倫次，辨不清方向。"

Zou had been training for that match for most of his life. Born in the southern province of Guizhou in 1981, Zou grew up just as China was beginning its market reforms, a process that lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and set the country on course to become the world's second-largest economy.

鄒市明生命中的大部分時間都在爲了這場比賽而訓練。他1981年生於中國南部的貴州省，當時正值中國啓動市場改革，這些改革讓數億人脫貧，並讓中國走上了成爲全球第二大經濟體的道路。

In elementary school, Zou was by his own admission a trouble-maker, so his parents transferred him to a sports school. He studied martial arts but grew restless at the "constrained" discipline. "That's just not my style," he says. He soon discovered boxing, but tried to hide it from his parents because they considered it too violent. Steadily he developed his sparring skills under the tutelage of a coach who dubbed young Zou the "pirate" because of his ability to steal a jab at an opponent.

上小學時，鄒市明是個淘氣鬼（他自己承認的），因此他的父母把他轉到了一所體校。他在那裏學習武術，但他逐漸對這一"受限"學科感到不滿。他說："這不是我的風格。"他很快發現了拳擊，但試圖瞞着父母，因爲他們認爲這種運動過於暴力。在教練的指導下，他逐漸練就了輕拳出擊的技巧，由於他擅長偷襲對手，教練給小鄒市明起了一個"海盜"的綽號。

In 2004, Zou took the bronze in Athens, marking China's first Olympic boxing medal. Four years later, he was back on the podium leading the boxing team to two golds, a silver and a bronze. Chinese athletes cleaned up that year, taking home more golds than any other country and winning 100 medals overall. The nation's increased focus on sports where the chances of taking gold would be higher, such as women's weightlifting, had paid off.

2004年，鄒市明在雅典奧運會上奪得銅牌，這是中國首枚奧運拳擊獎牌。4年後，他再次站到領獎臺上，率領拳擊隊奪得兩枚金牌、一枚銀牌和一枚銅牌。那一年，中國運動員大獲全勝，金牌總數超過其它任何一個國家，共贏得100枚獎牌。中國加大對奪金機率較高的體育項目（例如女子舉重）的關注，已顯出成效。

The sport of boxing, which Mao Zedong once banned for being too western, had never been one at which Chinese athletes excelled - until Zou came along. "I was lucky to compete in my home country and win a gold medal," Zou says simply. "The Olympic Games mark how a country or a city developed."

毛澤東曾因爲拳擊過於西化而禁止該項目，此前中國運動員從未在這個領域取得過出衆表現，直到鄒市明的出現。"在我的祖國比賽並贏得金牌，這是我的幸運，"鄒市明簡單地說道，"奧運會標誌着一個國家或一個城市取得了怎樣的發展。"

This summer, he'll be training hard for London. But it won't be anything like 2008. "It will be my third Olympics already. I've already lost, and I've already won. This time around it's more about exhibiting myself and encouraging young athletes," he explains. "For me, [winning the gold] was like taking all the pressure off."

今年夏季，他將刻苦訓練參加倫敦奧運會。但這次與2008年完全不同。"這將是我第三次參加奧運會。我失敗過，也勝利過。這一次，更多的是展示自我，並鼓勵年輕隊員，"他解釋道，"對我來說，（贏得金牌）就像是卸下所有壓力。"