By sportswriters Yao Youming and Geng Huihuang
CHENGDU, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Discussing his work, lifeguard chief Wu Chunhai of Dong'an Lake Sports Park Aquatics Center compares himself and his colleagues to unsung heroes.
"Most of the athletes have a higher level than us, of course, so we have no chance of rescuing anybody in the pool these days," Wu said.
But Wu's team has to do many tasks every day, including checking and repairing the backstroke starter facilities, the rescue equipment and the lines in the pools.
"Although maybe we can't be seen on TV, we also contributed to hosting the FISU Universiade successfully," the 41-year-old told Xinhua.
Wu's father is a basketballer. When Wu was a teenager, he wanted to follow suit, doing sport-related work. In 2010, Wu became a lifeguard at Chengdu's Mengzhuiwan Swimming Center.
In April 2010, Mengzhuiwan's manager decided to make the swimming pool open to the public. Wu and his two friends had to watch over 300 attendees per day.
"Many beginners were in our pool that day, and we three lifeguards rescued over 24 swimmers. We were too tired to speak after that day," Wu said.
"But many guests thanked me for saving them. I began to love my work more."
In Wu's eyes, a good lifeguard should have three kinds of abilities. Firstly, they should know how to reach the drowning swimmer properly and perform CPR.
Secondly, Wu asked all his friends to pay extra attention in business hours. "Playing on mobile phones or taking a short nap is totally prohibited."
What's more, Wu can quickly judge the swimmers' level. "We warn the amateurs not to enter the deep end. We will focus on them and be ready to save their lives at any time," Wu said.
To help avoid more drowning accidents, Wu changed his job and became a swimming coach. However, when he knew that his hometown would be the host city of the FISU World University Games, he returned to his old job.
In order to ensure the swimming events ran safely and smoothly, Wu and his team did a lot of preparation, performing rescue drills time and again.
During the competition, Wu has to arrive at 6am and leave for home no earlier than 10pm. "Each day we have much to do, but we are very happy to do our jobs," Wu said.
