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Young heart beats in 'Iron Lady'
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-03-26 08:35

It is a simple and tidy office in which everything seems to be in exactly the right place, with the exception of two things that appear to be in quite the wrong place - a red Giant racing bicycle in one corner and a large suitcase beside the manager's desk.


Liu Yina takes poses for a picture after teh Cross Challenger competition last August. She took fourth place. [China Daily]
The office belongs to Liu Yina, the general manager of the marketing department of Datang Software Technology Company.

Employees in most IT industry offices are caught up in the tough and competitive routine, bent over staring at computer screens or running back and forth between offices.

Liu is one among the many, but she is different.

What make the difference is her status and age.

The 51-year-old spends 200 to 300 days every year flying back and forth across China dressed in a neat yet elegant outfits. When she is not flying she is in the office, working 10-hour days, immersed in communication with office staff members and clients and handling endless strings of documents.

So the ready-to-grab suitcase by the desk is not out of place at all - it is a necessity.

Yet, busy as she is, with her ready smile Liu seems to be always at ease.

So what and where is the energizer that keeps her going so smoothly?

Part of the explanation can be found in the red bicycle.

"The bike was a gift from my boss and subordinates on my 51st birthday," said Liu. The gift was their way of encouraging her in her decade-long dedication to a challenging and even torturing sport - the Iron Man Triathlon.

A super woman

Liu still remembers her decision to take up running. It was a product of her determination to lose weight.

"I was fat after I gave birth to my daughter, 100 kilos, in fact," said Liu, who now pays great attention to her appearance and her wardrobe.

Back then, when she was just 35, she started a daily early morning routine of long distance running and eventually succeeded in dropping 35 kilos.

Her enthusiasm for running found expression in a new enthusiasm for competitive racing, and after she had won a number of competitions, an Iron Man Trianthlon coach she had gotten to know suggested that she try her hand at the highly demanding sport.

"I said I would, although I had never ridden a racing bicycle and didn't know how to swim," Liu recalled.

She still remembers the day in 1995 when she spent 3,000 yuan (US$361) for a new bicycle. "When I left the shop, I was going to wheel it home, because I didn't know how to ride," Liu laughed.

"I thought the people around me were making fun of me, so I forced myself to ride home."

Not even knowing how the brakes worked, stubborn Liu rode the bike home without stopping even once on the way, sweat rolling down her face and arms.

Her plunge into swimming was equally dramatic.

She had no idea how to take a breath when swimming, but ignoring the snorts of disbelief from the people around her, she started getting up at 4:30 every morning and jumping into the cold water of an outdoor swimming pool.

Sweet comes after the sweat.

Since flinging herself into Iron Man Triathlons, Liu has won seven Asian amateur triathlon titles and several other competitions such as Great Wall climbing and cross-country races.

She became a centre of attention in last year's Asian Iron Man Triathlon competition, when 50-year-old Liu, the oldest competitor, turned in a brilliant performance, finished second in the amateur women category and first in her age group (41-49).

"When I was first to cross the finish line in the 40-kilometre cycling section, a judge asked me if I had really completed all five laps of the circuit. At that moment, another judge answered for me: 'Don't you know her? She is Liu Yina. She was last year's champion."'

Liu still feels proud when she recalls that race.

"I pushed myself through the whole race, made it to the finish line. Lots of competitors were carried to the recovery tents on stretchers, while I was jumping up and down in celebration," Liu said.

Liu is unwilling to let her age rule her life and is trying to squeeze in extra time for exercise in her bid to keep fit and improve her stamina.

On weekends or during vacations she rides more than 100 kilometres a day. And despite the demands of her job, Liu still manages to get up early and run every day.

"Look at what I keep in my suitcase," Liu said, opening it and taking out a pair of running shoes. "I take them everywhere I go, whether on vacation or on business."

With a heart full of confidence and ambition, Liu is now planning to take part in a marathon event this year.

Although she has run in 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,000m and 10,000m competitions, Liu regrets not yet having entered a marathon.

"The marathon is not a problem for me, it is a challenge. And I am ready.

"I compete to test myself physically and mentally. Competition tells me what kind of shape I am in," Liu said.

In her eyes, success in career and the family must be built on a healthy body and a keen mind.

Benefit of sports

In 1997, just into her 40s, Liu lost her job as a worker in a semi-conductor factory. It was a big blow to her.

But her strong will and perseverance helped her through the challenge of finding another job.

After a number of refusals, Liu was recommended to Datang, where her one-sentence response to the employer's question about what she could bring to the company netted her a job.

She said: "The most important point is if you give me a chance at my age, I will do my utmost to do the job well."

Moreover, Liu says she owes her success in the IT industry to years of passion and persistence in sports, saying what she learns from sports plays a key role in dealing with various situations in her work.

"My involvement in sports keeps me healthy both in body and mind. More importantly, it teaches me how to make my team of employees work as a unit, and how to encourage them to work harder," Liu said.

"We always see her working day and night at full throttle. It is an encouragement even if she does not say anything," said Zhang Yanchun, an employee in Datang and also an onlooker at last year's competition.

Starting from the bottom of the heap, Liu, without any background in higher education, has been working her way up step by step all by herself.

All her hard work has finally been rewarded.

She is now in full charge of marketing development for Datang and is a banner example respected and admired by the people around her.

Liu now finds time to spend with her young colleagues, chatting or going out to karaoke bars. "I don't want there to be a big gap between me and my subordinates. I am still young and energetic," Liu said.

Happy family

Liu always feels grateful that she has a happy family. Liu's husband, Li Liang, an assitant manager in a Beijing company, used to worry about her health because of the pressures she always put on herself, but eventually, when he realized she thrived on the hard work and competition, he accepted it as a part of their lives.

Liu would like to describe herself as an average woman with strong emotions rather than as an "Iron Lady."

She often spends time with her 16-year-old daughter on the weekends at Xianzonglin, a lovely cafe frequented by youngsters, which has swinging seats. "We don't have much time to talk. But in a place like that, my daughter tells me everything that is bothering her. I think I am a very considerate mother."

A decade of life as an "Iron Lady" has made Liu a young, vivid and optimistic middle-ager.

Ten years have passed, but her youthful vivacity lingers on, even grows.

Whether on the job, in the family or in competition, Liu gives new meaning to what it is to be a 51-year-old woman.

 
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