Chen Siqi

vankochensq@163.com

SRĐAN GAŠIĆ, a soccer coach for Eintracht Frankfurt (Shenzhen) Football Academy and Shenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language School (Group), gave a concluding speech to a soccer match, encouraging young players to enjoy the match rather than focus on the result, at the Shenzhen Bay Center yesterday as reporters waited to interview him.

The 47-year-old Serbian soccer coach made headlines for his bravery in saving a man from drowning at Dameisha Beach Park during the May Day holiday from April 29 to May 3.

Gašić and his wife were relaxing at the beach at around 2 p.m. when he heard someone shouting from the sea. He figured out that something wrong might have happened, but he wasn’t sure at first because of not understanding Chinese and the high waves blocking his sight.

When Gašić saw a lifeguard jump from the platform and run directly to the sea, he immediately jumped into action as well. “I grabbed the guy, pulled him from behind. The lifeguard took him out,” he recalled.

“I saw the body without any movements, any sign of life,” Gašić said. “I had to press his chest and stomach, but all the time when we pressed, the blood from his mouth and nose came out, so I told others that the situation was really serious,” he added. They tried to revive the man for about five minutes before an ambulance arrived to take the man to the hospital.

The following day, Gašić and his wife tried to find out about the man’s condition, and were relieved to hear that he had survived. “The guy who [nearly]drowned is about 20, and I have a son, 25, and my daughter is 20 years old. They are similar in age, so my desire to help was strong,” Gašić explained.

Gašić credits his ability to provide effective aid to the first-aid training he received in middle school. “The first-aid training from middle school taught me what to do and helped me stay calm and not panic in a severe situation,” Gašić said.

He believes that such training should be provided in schools to equip people with the necessary skills to respond in emergency situations.

Gašić’s heroic act has inspired his soccer team members and fellow coaches.

“Coach Srđan is like a role model for me. He let us know if we don’t have the capability, don’t swim in the sea alone, and if we have the capability, we should offer a helping hand to others,” Li Junrui, one of Gašić’s  soccer team members, said.

“Gašić inspired us in sports to extend help using our capabilities. It’s a positive example worth spreading,” Lai Mingliang, a Chinese coach of the team, said.

Gašić arrived in Shenzhen in August 2022 to advance his career as a soccer coach, following almost four years of experience coaching in other Chinese cities.

“I had heard that Shenzhen is a modern and high-tech city, but I couldn’t imagine the really nice buildings, streets and parks. For my wife and me, we are most impressed by the parks in Shenzhen,” Gašić said. “Every Saturday when we have time, we go to a different park.”