From classroom to track: ZJU teacher ZHANG Jingzong claims silver at the 15th National Games

Earlier this year, students in the physical fitness and ultimate frisbee courses offered by Department of Public Physical and Art Education of ZJU were surprised to find that their usually energetic instructor, ZHANG Jingzong, was suddenly absent from class.

It wasn’t long before word spread across campus: he hadn’t taken routine leave—he was away competing at the 15th National Games, where he won silver in the men’s 400 meters.

From the track to the classroom, and back again

In the final 50 meters of the men’s 400 meters at the 15th National Games, ZHANG Jingzong, a lecturer from the Department of Public Physical and Art Education of ZJU, found another gear and surged late to win silver.

After the race, he said, “An athlete’s prime only lasts a few years. I don’t want to look back with regrets.”

ZHANG Jingzong first competed at the National Games in 2021, when he was a graduate student at Beijing Sport University. He ran 45.66 seconds to take silver, but he admits he still wasn’t fully satisfied. He felt he had more left in the tank and could have pushed harder. That lingering sense of unfinished business became a key reason he returned four years later.

He joined Zhejiang University in 2023, and the new role did not dim his love for the track. In 2024, he taught in the mornings and served as an assistant coach with ZJU’s high-level sports team in the afternoons. He also kept racing to earn ranking points and eventually secured an individual spot at the National Games.

With support from his department, ZHANG Jingzong began full-scale preparation in February 2025. He followed a structured training plan and used the process to learn from some of the latest domestic methods in sprint training, strength and conditioning, rehabilitation, and squad management. He hopes to bring these lessons back into his coaching.

In the heats, he was drawn in an outside lane. With no one directly in front of him, he stuck to his plan, finished in 45.61 seconds, and set a personal best. In the final in Guangzhou, cooler weather and rain made the track slick, but he stayed composed under pressure from a younger field and earned another silver.

Speaking about these two silver medals, won four years apart, ZHANG Jingzong said they brought him “a sense of release more than anything else,” and felt like “a recognition of the persistence and effort” he has poured into the sport.

“As a teacher, I understand athletes better”

Since becoming a coach, ZHANG Jingzong has gained a broader view of training. Shifting from being solely an athlete to taking on the dual role of teacher and athlete has reshaped the way he approaches his work.

He believes coaches and athletes need to share the same goals and stay in step for the best results. He also emphasizes the importance of team culture. “Track and field may look like an individual sport,” he said, “but it’s hard to keep going on your own. You can push for a while, but over a long season it’s easy to burn out. Teammates help you stay motivated and move forward together.” What he has learned through teaching and coaching, he notes, has also helped him perform better in competition.

In the classroom, ZHANG Jingzong keeps exploring new ideas. He has earned coaching certifications in ultimate frisbee and pickleball, aiming to offer students a wider range of activities and make classes more engaging.

He plans to continue serving as an assistant coach for the school team, supporting the head coach in training. He also hopes to learn from experienced colleagues in undergraduate courses and further strengthen his teaching skills.

Each lap reveals a landscape

Looking back on his athletic journey, ZHANG Jingzong sums it up in three words: “passion, confusion, and calm.”

He admits the 400 meters has never been an easy fit. “To be honest, I don’t really like the 400,” he said with a laugh. “When you’re on the starting line, you can’t see the finish. In the 100, it’s right there. In the 200, it’s almost in sight. But in the 400, the finish line feels like it’s behind you.”

He has experienced both highs and lows. At his peak, he rose from First-Grade Athlete to International Master of Sports in just a few races. But when the applause faded, he also went through a difficult stretch. “For a while,” he recalled, “every time I stepped onto the starting line, it felt like I was walking to an execution.” Those ups and downs deepened his understanding of sport and life, and they have shaped the way he teaches, helping him guide students with more empathy and perspective. “I hope they take fewer detours,” he said. “And I want them to know this: you can’t stay at the top forever, and you won’t stay at the bottom forever either. What matters is how you get through the process.”

From the track in his student days to classrooms on the ZJU campus, and then from the lectern back to the National Games arena, ZHANG Jingzong completed a full circle in four years, showing what perseverance looks like on the track and beyond it.

Adapted and translated from the article written by ZHU Yaokun, SUN Zhou
Translator: LU Yihsuan (’28, Literature)
Photo: ZHANG Jingzong
Editor: HAN Xiao