【2021 Year-End Special】This year they are all protagonists

In 2021, a number of "new generation" idols in the Chinese sports world have come out, and many famous players are still shining on the field. Some people have achieved breakthroughs, some have completed sublimation, some have continued to write brilliant, and some people have left the scene. All moving stories are written by persistence and struggle, in this sports "big year", everyone who works tenaciously and pays unremittingly for his dreams is the protagonist of Chinese sports.

New and old champions compete

Reaching the top podium is every athlete's goal and dream. In 2021, there are also many topical champions in the Chinese sports world.

At the most important event of the year, the Tokyo Olympic Games, a group of "00" post-personnel showed the world the style of China's sports "Youth Army".

In the women's 10-meter air rifle competition, Yang Qian, born in 2000, once fell out of the top 10 in the qualification round and fell behind most of the time in the final, and shot the first gold of the Tokyo Olympic Games in one fell swoop, showing a strong psychological quality and amazing adjustment ability, and then she partnered with Yang Haoran to win the 10-meter air rifle mixed team championship.

In the diving competition, 14-year-old Quan Hongchan "debuted at the peak" and stunned the world with a perfect performance. While achieving good results, the two have won widespread attention and love with their unique liveliness and frankness among young people.

In the swimming competition, 23-year-old Zhang Yufei broke through the cocoon into a butterfly and won 2 gold and 2 silver in the 4 events he participated in, and his stable state and strength were impressive.

Chen Yufei, a 23-year-old badminton star, beat the world's no. 1 Dai Ziying in the final and won the Olympic gold medal for the national women's singles after nine years. Wang Yilu / Huang Dongping, a long-time world number two badminton mixed doubles star, with the impact mentality of "we are not world champions", defeated the "overlord" of the project, Zheng Siwei / Huang Yaqiong, and won the championship.

What is even more valuable is that whether it is Yang Qian and Quan Hongchan, who are representatives of the "new generation", or Zhang Yufei, Chen Yufei, and "Yellow Duck", who have been famous for a long time but are still young, they have not stopped after they have achieved fame, and their mentality is still low-key and peaceful, and their training is still practical and hard. In the important events at home and abroad after the Olympic Games, they not only continued to win gold and silver, but also shouldered the burden of the "leaders" of their projects at the beginning of the new cycle.

The performance of rookies and middle-aged athletes is surprising, and the indomitable and tenacious will of veterans is more worthy of respect. Gong Lijiao, women's shot put world champion and the "elder of the four dynasties" of the Olympic Games, finally realized his dream of Tokyo after rubbing shoulders with the Olympic gold medal three times. Although age, injuries and various uncertainties have brought Gong Lijiao a lot of influence, she has finally made her dream come true with unremitting efforts.

Ma Long, who is also 32 years old with Gong Lijiao, won the men's table tennis singles and men's team championships at the Olympic Games. During the Tokyo Olympic cycle, Malone underwent surgery due to injury and was caught in a 538-day "championship drought" and even doubted himself. But he did not become depressed, but with tenacious will to overcome difficulties, out of the trough, interpreting the sportsmanship of "overcoming the self and moving forward bravely".

Break through history and take it to the next level

Sprinter Su Bingtian was a "special" presence of the Chinese delegation at the Tokyo Olympics, and although he failed to reach the podium of the Tokyo Olympics, he achieved a huge breakthrough that can go down in history. In the men's 100m semifinals, he set a new Asian record with a time of 9.83 seconds, becoming the first Chinese athlete to reach the final of the Men's 100m "Flyer Wars" at the Olympic Games. In the final, he once again broke through the "10 second mark" and finished sixth in 9.98 seconds.

As a 1.72-meter-tall, 32-year-old Asian sprinter, Su Bingtian's breakthrough can be described as amazing. But after understanding his character and habits, it is not difficult to understand that all "miracles" are just a matter of course. Su Bingtian's self-discipline has always been praised by the industry, from diet to work and rest, more than ten years of strict self-requirements, so that he has maintained a good physical and mental state. In addition, Su Bingtian has always been firm in his goal and unremitting pursuit, in order to improve in a few tenths of a second, and LiZhinian is still revising and adjusting the technology. It is the accumulated efforts that have opened the door to his record time and time again.

In the field of non-Olympic sports, some Chinese athletes have also made historic breakthroughs. On 16 November, Formula 1 Alfa Romeo announced that 22-year-old Shanghai teenager Zhou Guanyu will compete in the F1 Grand Prix as the team's driver next season. If all goes well, Zhou Guanyu will become China's first official F1 driver.

From Cheng Congfu and Dong Hebin to Ma Qinghua, for more than a decade, several Chinese and Chinese riders have had "close contact" with F1, but eventually rubbed shoulders. Today, Zhou Guanyu has become a pioneer with down-to-earth efforts, which is not only his personal success, but also the surprise of nearly 40 years of Chinese racing.

In addition, in the "three major competitions" that symbolize the highest honor of the snooker project, China's "Twin Stars" turned out to be born, 21-year-old Yan Bingtao slashed four masters in a row to win the Masters, and 24-year-old Zhao Xintong "one black to the end" won the British Championship. After Ding Junhui, China's snooker finally put up a new "flag".

The fate of famous men is different

Athletes compete on the field, cut through thorns, and are inseparable from the planning of coaches and managers. Or full of spirit, or defeated, they have also become a figure of great concern in the Chinese sports world in 2021.

Liu Guoliang, a former table tennis "Grand Slam" winner, added a new position at the age of 45 after taking charge of the Chinese Table Tennis Association and becoming the chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Table Tennis Professional Federation (WTT). During the World Table Tennis Championships in November, he was successfully elected as the executive vice chairman of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), and will fully participate in the work of the ITTF decision-making level in the next four years, which is not only expected to win more voice in international organizations for Chinese table tennis with leading competitive strength, but also promote the popularization and development of the project in the world. The "fat man who doesn't know the ball" said that the new position means more responsibility and responsibility, hoping to show his ideas on a higher stage. At that competition, he led the launch of two mixed doubles pairs of Chinese and American athletes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of "ping-pong diplomacy" and won unanimous praise in the international community.

As a famous marshal, Lang Ping's fate was somewhat miserable. The women's volleyball team folded the Olympic Games group stage, the worst record in 37 years, and Lang Ping, whose contract expired, did not renew his contract with the Chinese Volleyball Association. In the past 8 years, the "iron hammer" has led the Chinese women's volleyball team in the trough to return to the peak, winning the World Cup championship twice and reaching the top of the Rio Olympic Games, and the achievements are not small. On the occasion of parting, whether it is the affectionate embrace of the team members or the warm blessings that fill the network, they all express the recognition and respect of all parties for "Lang Dao". And Lang Ping himself also made it clear that he would not accept the high-paying contract of foreign teams, and if he went out of the mountains in the future, he would also coach the Chinese team.

Compared with Lang Ping's departure with his head held high, the resignation of men's football coach Li Tie can be described as a disgrace. The national football team, which has a number of naturalized players, has a poor record in the Round of 12 of the World Cup qualifiers, and only theoretical possibilities are left to qualify. The problem of the "iron marshal" is not only in the record of leading the team, but also in the controversy caused by the stubbornness of the employment, the inappropriate remarks made after the game, the publication of the national football sponsor's competitive brand advertisement on personal social media, and the improper behavior of receiving salaries and participating in team management in the Wuhan club after taking charge of the national team. In early December, the Chinese Football Association accepted Li Tie's resignation, and the five-year contract signed earlier was annulled.