Wang Zilu participated in the 41st International Sports Federation Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championship held in Brazil in August this year
The 2025 National Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship and the National Youth Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship will kick off at Tongchuan Stadium from September 11 to 23. The competition is sponsored by the Gymnastics Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sports of China and the Chinese Gymnastics Association, supported by the Shaanxi Provincial Sports Bureau and the Tongchuan Municipal People's Government, and hosted by the Shaanxi Provincial Gymnastics Sports Management Center. By then, more than 300 rhythmic gymnastics athletes from all over the country will gather in Shaanxi to compete fiercely with their elegant postures and superb skills on the field.
Adversity blooms! Disease cannot stop the "brave heart"
Among the many contestants, the Xi'an female player Wang Zilu of the Shaanxi team is undoubtedly the most popular person. This young player who has achieved great success in the field of rhythmic gymnastics in the past two years will show his strength in front of his hometown’s elders, as well as his “fearless heart” who is not afraid of illness and overcomes difficulties.
At the Paris Olympics, Wang Zilu (left) bravely achieved great results with the encouragement of coach Qu Tao
In 2024, as the "leading actress" of the Chinese rhythmic gymnastics team's individual event, the 21-year-old Wang Zilu shines in many important events. In May, at the National Rhythm Gymnastics Championships and the Paris Olympic Trials, she won the adult individual all-round event championship with an absolute advantage. In the Paris Olympic Rhythm Gymnastics Competition in August of the same year, the Xi'an girl made the best Olympic record for Chinese athletes in the individual all-round sports of rhythmic gymnastics with her outstanding performance with the seventh place in the final. Her on-the-spot performance was full of vitality and charm, allowing the world to see the Chinese cultural confidence. In October 2024, at the National Rhythm Gymnastics Championship held in Chongqing, Wang Zilu represented the Shaanxi team in the competition. Not only did she win the adult personal all-round gold medal, but she also won all 4 gold medals in adult individual events (circle, ball, stick, belt). She won 5 gold medals and ushered in the peak of her sports career.
However, in February 2025, Wang Zilu was diagnosed with asthma, and the doctor even advised her to end her career. But this strong Xi'an girl did not choose to give up, "I still want to keep practicing and compete!" After more than a month of rest, Wang Zilu began to slowly resume training. In the National Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship and the 15th Games qualifying competition held in early June 2025, she played with four brand new sets of actions. Although she made a mistake in the first lap of the all-around finals, she turned the tide in the following three events and finally achieved her goal of winning the championship. After the game, Wang Zilu, who has always been modest, rarely gave herself full marks. "Before the National Championship, my complete set of movements was only four or five weeks. The National Championship was a kind of training instead of competition. It was the first time since I was sick that I had completed 4 all-around events. It was quite a challenge for me. I wanted to control the difficulty, but I made a mistake in the first event and had to complete all the difficulties at this stage. So, in the end, I was able to win the gold medal. I gave myself a full score. Although my physical condition was not good, I pushed it down. This was a great improvement!" Wang Zilu said emotionally.
A new challenge! The journey begins again in my hometown stadium
In this year's World Cup Milan Station, Wang Zilu (right) won the bronze medal in the baton exercise
It is understood that after suffering from asthma, Wang Zilu continued to consult and treat, and the coach and the security team have also used various methods to help her restore her physical state and adjust her mental state. Despite this, she missed two World Cup tournaments in the first half of this year. It was not until the Milan World Cup match in late July that Wang Zilu made her debut in the international arena. In the end, she overcame all kinds of difficulties in that competition and won the bronze medal in the baton game with 28.800 points, of which the highest score was in the game.
In August this year, at the 41st International Sports Federation Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships held in Brazil, Wang Zilu, who once again went on a remarkable performance. In the qualifying round of the Circle, her set with anti-war theme was very distinctive, and she advanced to the final with a high score of 28.800 and a sixth place in the qualifying round. This is also the second time that Wang Zilu has advanced to the World Championships individual final. She had previously advanced to the training final at the 2023 Spanish World Championships and finally won the fifth place, creating the best result of Chinese athletes in the World Championships in this individual event. In Brazil, Wang Zilu finally won the 8th place in the lap with 27.400 points in the final. In addition, she also finished 7th in the Bad Fucks (27.200 points) and ranked 22nd in the personal all-round event.
Prince Lu (first right in front row) and his teammates of the national team of rhythmic gymnastics have once again experienced the training of the World Championships
The National Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship held in Tongchuan this time is another important event after Wang Zilu returned from Brazil to the World Championships. She is also eager to regain her good condition with the cheers of the elders of Sanqin. "My asthma is better than in the first half of the year. Although I won five gold medals in the championship last year, it is different from the past. This time I hope I can finish the competition smoothly and show a better competitive state than in the first half of the year."
It is understood that Wang Zilu's coaching team has a lot of ideas when creating four new sets. The style of playing the game is unrestrained, which is a common style used by European athletes. Wang Zilu has never tried it before. "Because I have many 'Chinese style' sets of movements, which are also quite eye-catching internationally, but I want to challenge the fields they (European players) are good at, and I also hope to compete with them in the next international competitions." At the same time, Wang Zilu has strong expressiveness in the sense of rhythm and rhythm, and the coach also reflects the arrangement of the base exercises and music selection; Circle Cause uses anti-war music; "Shan Dan Dan Blooms and Bright Red" used by Qiucause is a folk song in northern Shaanxi. Wang Zilu hopes to better show the charm of her hometown regional culture in this national championship and the subsequent National Games.
Text/Xi'an Newspaper All-Media Reporter Jin Peng Photo/Xinhua News Agency
