How long does it take to be a world champion?

2008年，9岁半的戴诗意走进了四川省体育馆。“那时，我完全不知道花样游泳是什么，家里人说‘就是水里面跳舞，安逸’，就把我留在成都了。”没想到，戴诗意就一直“跳”了下去。

In 2008, nine-and-a-half-year-old Dai Shiyi stepped into the Sichuan Provincial Stadium, clueless about synchronized swimming. "All I knew was what my family told me: 'it's like dancing in the water, very soothing,' and they left me in Chengdu," she recalled. She didn't expect that she would keep "dancing" in the water for many years to come.

2023年5月14日，在世界泳联花样游泳世界杯埃及站比赛中，戴诗意摘得单人自由自选冠军。

On May 14, 2023, Dai Shiyi claimed the championship in the solo free routine at the FINA Artistic Swimming World Cup in Egypt.

“连哄带骗”开启花游生涯

来成都练花游前，戴诗意只练过舞蹈，“连游泳都不会，就被家里一大家子人送到了成都。”可以说是“连哄带骗”开启了运动员生涯。

Before coming to Chengdu to learn synchronized swimming, Dai had only practiced dance. "I didn't even know how to swim, yet my family sent me off to Chengdu," said Dai. In a way, she was "coaxed" into starting her athletic career.

2013年，戴诗意正式进入了四川花游队。

In 2013, Dai officially joined the Sichuan Artistic Swimming Team.

升入省队后，戴诗意进步很大，2016年代表中国队参加了喀山花游世青赛以及同一年的亚锦赛。单人、双人和集体，因为艺术表现力和技术能力突出，戴诗意常常身兼三项。很长一段时间，作为四川花游队的“尖子”——被托举抛出去的那个，戴诗意常年都承受巨大压力。即便身经百战，这一次的世界杯之旅还是戴诗意“最紧张”的比赛。

After moving up to the provincial team, Dai made significant progress. In 2016, she represented the Chinese team in the Kazan Artistic Swimming Junior World Championships and the Asian Championships held the same year. Her exceptional artistic performances and technical skills often landed her roles in solo, duet, and team events. For a long time, as the "ace" of the Sichuan team—the one being tossed and lifted—Dai had been under enormous pressure. As an experienced player though, Dai felt that the World Cup was the most nerve-wracking competition she had ever participated in.

水下憋气1分43秒

对于这一次的比赛，教练曾珍也觉得很“刺激”。“比赛前，我们研究了前面两站对手的录像，临时调整了动作。动作完成度稍有不够，就会损失好几十分。”

Dai's coach, Zeng Zhen, also found the competition to be "thrilling." "Before the competition, we studied the previous videos of our opponents and adjusted our routine accordingly. Even the slightest imperfection in execution could cost us dozens of points," she said.

戴诗意准备的两套动作都非常有中国特色，一个是有四川元素的《太阳神鸟》，另一套是《花木兰》。“整套动作时长2分18秒，戴诗意水下憋气时长1分43秒，对心肺要求非常高，难度很大。”曾珍表示，这也是中国花样游泳队单人项目在巴黎奥运周期国际赛场的首次亮相。“可以说目前单人项目，戴诗意的难度和世界最高水平的乌克兰、日本选手是持平的。”

Dai's two routines were both featured with distinct Chinese characteristics. One was "Sun and Immortal Birds," themed around Sichuan, and the other was "Mulan." "The entire routine lasts 2 minutes and 18 seconds, and Dai held her breath underwater for 1 minute and 43 seconds. It'sincredibly challenging, putting a high demand on cardiorespiratory endurance," Zeng Zhen explained. This was the Chinese Artistic Swimming Team's solo debut on the international stage during the Paris Olympics cycle. "You could say that the difficulty of Dai's solo routine is on par with the highest levels of Ukrainian and Japanese athletes."

最终，戴诗意以超过第二名近四十分的优势，摘得了单人自由自选冠军。

In the end, Dai Shiyi won the solo free routine championship, outscoring the runner-up by nearly forty points.

15年后，实现儿时梦想

“升国旗奏国歌的那一刻，我全身鸡皮疙瘩都起了。” 大概在12、13岁时，看着四川花游队姐姐们的表现，戴诗意给自己许下了一个目标：成为世界冠军。练花游15年后，她终于圆梦。

"The moment the national flag was raised and the national anthem was played, I got goosebumps all over," said Dai. At about the age of 12 or 13, inspired by her senior teammates' performances, Dai set a goal for herself: to become a world champion. After 15 years of training in synchronized swimming, she finally realized her dream.

“这次夺冠之后也给自己更多的信心，未来继续努力提升自己。”结束了埃及站比赛，成为了世界冠军，戴诗意忙得连行李箱都还没打开收拾，教练曾珍又给她提出了新的目标——提高完成的质量和艺术表现力、拿更多的冠军。

"This championship has boosted my confidence, and I will continue to work hard to improve," Dai said after the competition in Egypt. Before she unpack her suitcase from the trip, coach Zeng Zhen had already set a new goal for the newly minted world champion—to improve the execution and artistic expression, and to win even more championships.