From December 28th to 30th, the 2024 National Rope Skipping League Finals, jointly organized by the Social Sports Guidance Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Chinese Shuttlecock Association, and the People’s Government of Huadu District, Guangzhou, opened grandly at the Huadu Sports Stadium in Guangzhou. Nearly 1,000 athletes from 150 teams, including Southeast University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and Guangzhou Sport University, gathered for peak competitions. SCMU’s rope skipping team participated in 6 events and achieved excellent results with 4 gold medals and 1 silver medal, fully demonstrating the superior skills of our university’s athletes.

The rope skipping team was led by Hong Shengzhi, Party Secretary of SCMU’s School of Physical Education, with Sun Guilong serving as coach. A total of 14 athletes participated in the competition. In the first event, the 10-person team formation jump (where jumpers create figure-8 patterns with a long rope), our team won the first gold medal with the highest score of 461 jumps. In the women’s elite double dutch freestyle competition, the pairs of Li Tong and Zhang Yuanfang, Liu Simiao and Li Ying took both the championship and runner-up positions. In the speed event, Sun Guilong won the men’s 1-minute speed jumping championship. In the men’s elite 3-person interactive rope freestyle competition, Xiao Liaoliao, Wu Conghang, and Luo Heng delivered outstanding performances to secure the championship. Additionally, SCMU’s rope skipping team was awarded the ‘Sportsmanship Award’ for exemplary conduct and fair play, and Coach Sun Guilong was named “National Outstanding Rope Skipping Coach”.

Group photo of SCMU’s rope skipping team at the competition. Photo by Liu Simiao

The National Rope Skipping League Finals represent the highest level of rope skipping competition in China, with only the top three performers from each preliminary competition eligible to register. To prepare for this event, the School of Physical Education placed high importance on training. The rope skipping team began training in early 2024 with no breaks during the summer vacation. Training intensity gradually increased from once per day to three high-intensity sessions daily. The team had previously won 3 first places and 5 second places at the 2024 National Rope Skipping Championship and the National Rope Skipping League (Chengdu Station) national-level competitions, ultimately qualifying 14 team members for the finals.