What happens when athletes retire? Li Na, Zou Shiming, Christopher Pitts and Stéfanie Vallée have all represented their countries in the sport that they've mastered. For various reasons — injuries, changes of priotities in life, the pursuit of another dream and practical concerns about income — they've all now transitioned into other roles in their lives.
In our four-part 'After the Finish Line' series, we look at their transformations — from a tennis legend to a mother and the ambassador for the sport, an Olympic gold medalist to a professional boxing champion and reality TV star, an observed trial cyclist to a chef, and a kayakist to an artist and executive coach. In the third part of this series, we catch up with Olympic boxing legend Zou Shiming.
With his small figure and bronze skin tone, Zou Shiming looks like anything but an Olympic boxing champion at first glance. Wearing a casual black t-shirt, black pants and with a Starbucks cup in hand, the soft-spoken boxer sits down with me at his office in Minhang, sharing snippets of his celebrated career with pride.
He starts off with the 2008 Beijing Olympics: “That was quite intense. I fought like it was my last match because by 2012 I’d be 30. I couldn’t afford to lose.” The two-time Olympic gold medalist couldn’t contain his excitement while talking about that pivotal moment in his career eight years ago, when he won China’s first ever gold medal in Olympic boxing (also the first for Zou).
It all began back in the 2004 Summer Olympics where Zou had first caught global attention. While he’d only won the bronze medal that year, it was the very first Olympic medal for China in boxing – essentially putting his home country on the map in his discipline.
But like the fierce fighter in the ring that he is, Zou was not satisfied. In the years between the Athens and Beijing Games, he had won two World Amateur Boxing Championships as well as the Doha Asian Games, working hard toward his goal – an Olympic gold medal – which he eventually won in 2008.
After winning two Olympic medals, Zou pursued a WBO Boxing Championship title.
“When I finally stepped onto the podium [in Beijing], I felt a huge relief. Snippets of my bitter training days and pains I suffered played in front of my eyes like a movie. It was a very emotional moment,” Zou says.
Having been an athlete since the age of 17, the 35-year-old boxer is more aware than anyone of the meaning behind representing his country in the ring. “Nothing could ever replace that feeling,” Zou says. “Athletes are some of the few who can make the flag rise because of their own effort. When everyone stood up to sing the national anthem while we stood in the center of the ring, that was the proudest moment in my life.”
However, shortly after the 2012 London Games when Zou won another gold medal, he decided to retire from the national team and switch to professional boxing to pursue another dream of his: the WBO Boxing Championship title.
Many would consider this a smoother, easier path for Zou. Since his departure from the national team, he’s proven himself by taking home several WBO International Flyweight titles. There are, however, new things for him to worry about. “It’s a bit risky for me as I’ve got a team (of assistants, PR people, etc.) to take care of. Apart from matches, I have to manage things like booking hotels or flights, or finding places to eat. None of these were my concern when I was on the national team,” Zou tells me. “But the good thing is that I have more freedom, and I get to spend more time with my family.”
"My personal success is not real success. I want to see thousands of 'Zou Shimings' out there fighting and winning medals."
With the flexibility of his schedule, Zou has also been participating in various film and TV projects, most notably in a small role in Transformers 4, as well as one of the most popular Chinese reality TV series, Dad, Where Are We Going?
In one of the episodes, Zou and his elder son Xuanxuan traveled to Inner Mongolia, where he participated in wrestling matches with local kids. No match to his stronger, bigger opponent, Xuanxuan was pushed to the ground time and again, but he fought on.
“[My son] reminds me of myself during my training days; he’s a real fighter,” Zou says. “I keep telling him it’s okay to lose, but you have to get up. Boys can get injured, but they should never be fragile.”
Although he’s been quite active in showbiz in recent years, Zou assures us that his focus will still be boxing because it’s his best buddy of 20 years and is something that would be “hard to break up with.” However, the goals of the boxing veteran, who retained the WBO International Flyweight title after a match against Jozsef Ajtai of Hungary at New York’s Madison Square Garden in June, has shifted slightly in recent years.
“My personal success is not real success. I want to see thousands of ‘Zou Shimings’ out there fighting and winning medals; that would be real success to me.”
Zou Shiming has started boxing gyms and organizing matches to provide more opportunities for young boxers to realize their dreams.
In fact, that’s exactly what Zou’s business is all about – to promote boxing culture and provide more opportunities for young boxers to realize their dreams by starting boxing gyms, organizing matches and teaching them new boxing techniques.
Fully aware of the current status of some retired athletes, Zou says he has one more hope. “Not all athletes can be champions. For those who have retired and still want to contribute, I want to provide job opportunities for them so they can join our clubs or become our coaches.”
“This is why I’m trying hard to promote this sport. I’m lucky because the popularity of sport is on the rise and people care more about fitness now. I think I’ll expand to more cities to popularize boxing if everything goes well.”
Besides finding ways to pass the torch on to a new generation of young Chinese boxers, Zou’s next target is more personal: “I really want a daughter!”
Read more articles in our 'After the Finish Line' series here.
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