Chinese kids win international medals in jump-rope

Six students from Chongqing Jiangjin Shuangfu Middle School redefined the meaning of "fast" by winning two gold medals, three silvers and one bronze at the International Jump Rope Union Virtual Champions 2021, the world's top jump-rope competition.

The event was held in August and asked for video submissions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prizes were announced recently.

It was the first virtual world championship series sponsored by the IJRU through the World Jump Rope Federation and the merged Federation Internationale de Saut a la Corde and International Rope Skipping Federation (FISAC-IRSF).

The event included the World Championships, Junior World Championships and International Open Tournament.

A total of 127 athletes were selected for China's national jump-rope team to compete in the event. Six middle school students from Chongqing Jiangjin Shuangfu Middle School, who competed in more than 10 competitions in the Junior World Championships of the event, won prizes for the country.

"Most kids can jump more than 300 times per minute," said Shi Jie, the coach of the school's jump-rope team. He added that to prepare for the competition last summer, the students received regular training for more than 40 days, with four hours per-day of intensive training starting a few days before the event.

He said the jump-rope team, with more than 10 rope-skippers, have won dozens of medals in national-level rope jump competitions in recent years. This is the first time the team has attended an international event.

Shi said the team may attend another Asian jump-rope championship later if it is not canceled due to the pandemic.

"Rope-jumping is very tedious, and perseverance is the most important thing for success," Shi said.