China

Coach and athlete fall out over beating

By Yu Nan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-10-11 16:52

Long distance runner Sun Yingjie announced yesterday that she had dropped her coach Wang Dexian for beating her over trivial matters, reports sina.com.

Sun said she once talked back to Wang's wife, which caused him to beat her severely.

China's long distance runner Sun Yingjie(L) and his coach Wang Dexian fall out over beating. Sun now had dropped her coach and continued to train by herself in southwest China's Yunan Province, reports sina.com.?[File Photo]

"My coach takes me to a room, beats me with things like straps, watchbands or whatever; while bellowing with rage and calling me an ingrate" Sun recalls, "he always thinks I am doing bad things behind his back."

"He also cussed out my parents and accused them of using "irreverent words" toward him on a TV program and told me he would kill my parents," Sun said.

Bruised and aching all over, Sun could not take off her clothes or bathe for a week. "Nobody knew about it. I couldn't let anybody know," Sun said.

Sun was barred for competing after being tested positive for doping at last year's 10th National Sports Meeting.

Even though she was barred from competing for two years, and, she claims, Wang continued to severely beat her, she continued to train with him.

"Leaving is the best choice for me; I am so tired, "the runner said. "I have no expectations regarding my future career as an athlete, not to mention the Beijing Olympics. At the moment I am afraid that I could not live if I stayed here one more day."

To Sun, Wang was not just an instructor, but also a father figure who looked after her for almost 12 years. "I didn't hate him even though he beat me. It was only when I was out of step with him," she said. .

An anonymous member of the Chinese Athletes Association commented that, "it is difficult for the Association to intervene, as Sun is now is directly under the supervision of the Heilongjiang-based Huochetou Sports Association, but is not a qualified national team member."

"Occasionally, athletes may be chided or suffer corporal punishment for slacking off; but to be frank Sun's situation is rare," he said.

"Sun and I no longer have a coach-athlete relationship," Wang said in a telephone interview today.

Wang said he pays little attention to the news, and was reluctant to talk about Sun. "I have already been barred from competition, so why does it make sense for me to continue to train Su?"

In addition to Sun's accusations, Wang has also been accused of stealing the salaries of three Hochetou Sports Association athletes.