The Paper's reporter Pu Yaolei
In the history of badminton in China and even in the world, Zhao Yunlei is definitely a name that cannot be ignored.
At the London 2012 Olympic Games, she won both women's doubles and mixed doubles, while she was also a Grand Slam champion of the Olympic Games, World Championships, Asian Games, Asian Championships, All England and BWF Super Series Finals.
Today, Zhao Yunlei has officially become a member of the BWF Hall of Fame. In an interview with the surging news reporter, she said: "No matter how my identity changes in the future, I will always be committed to the promotion and development of badminton. ”
For the competition currently facing Guoyu, she has also maintained her attention and expectations: "Now the pattern of the feather world has also undergone very big changes, which can be described as a group of heroes. ”
Zhao Yunlei (left) and women's doubles partner Tian Qing.
A defeat that changes lives
When the surging news reporter asked which game in her career impressed her the most, Zhao Yunlei first mentioned the gold medal at the London Olympic Games.
At that Olympic Games, the Chinese badminton team won the hardware, and the women's doubles final in which Zhao Yunlei participated was the last final.
'It was very stressful and the opponent was Japan, and it felt like the most stressful game of my career." Zhao Yunlei told the surging news reporter.
In the end, she and her partner Tian Qing lived up to expectations and won the championship with a 2-0 victory, helping the Chinese women's doubles to achieve the fifth consecutive Olympic championship.
Zhao Yunlei (right) and mixed doubles partner Zhang Nan.
Another match that impressed her was a defeat: "The mixed doubles final at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou was against a South Korean pair. ”
"Although I lost the game in this mixed doubles and only won the silver medal, it was because of this game that I didn't play well on the field, and then I had a lot of thinking about how to play in the final, how to adjust my state, and there was a qualitative leap in the performance of many games in the future."
Gain lessons in the moment of defeat, grow in one confrontation after another... Insisting on not giving up is an important reason for Zhao Yunlei to create brilliant career achievements.
As she herself said: "Looking back on my career, it was not all smooth sailing, and at the 2012 London Olympics, I put in more effort and encountered more difficulties because I was in both fields. Whenever I can't hold on, there's always a voice in my heart telling me that I can. ”
"Later in the Rio cycle, as I got older and more injured, my state of affairs fluctuated, and whenever I wanted to give up, people around me kept encouraging me, you can."
Zhao Yunlei is a legendary player in national feathers.
It's getting harder and harder for part-time athletes
Although she has retired, Zhao Yunlei's attention to Guo Yu has never changed.
"Among the younger generation of players, such as Huang Dongping, Chen Qingchen, Jia Yifan, Chen Yufei... Their recent performances have been impressive. In particular, Chen Yufei let us see the shining points and impact of young players. ”
In Zhao Yunlei's view, with the development of badminton in the world, the international competition pattern of the project is also changing: "The competition for supremacy is not limited to the previous strong teams, we used to think that the athletes of the unpopular countries are now quite high, and the competition in each competition is very fierce." ”
Such a status quo also makes it more and more difficult for all-round athletes like Zhao Yunlei to appear now who can perform multiple roles.
"In the past, there would be a certain gap in badminton levels in some places, but now everyone can see that the first game of all major competitions and open tournaments is difficult to play, the athlete consumption will be greater, and it will be more difficult for the part-time athletes to ensure their own form."
"Coupled with the gradual improvement of techniques and tactics, the responsibilities and roles of women's doubles and mixed doubles women are becoming more and more different, which may be one of the reasons why athletes are becoming more and more difficult to compete."
"I've had a lot of partners in my career, a lot of different personalities and styles of play, and I think the essential trait of a good doubles player is timely communication, including technical tactics, ideas, communication of ideas about opponents..."
"Let your companions grasp the dynamics of your ideas in time to ensure that the ideas of two people are unified."
Entering a new stage of contributing to the cause of sports
For the performance of the national feather in the Paris Olympic cycle, Zhao Yunlei will continue to be full of expectations.
"The Chinese team encountered a lot of difficulties at the beginning of the new cycle, but encountering these in the first year of the new cycle is a very good thing for athletes and teams."
"We still have enough time to solve the problem, improve our own hidden dangers before the Paris Olympics, and build a stronger Chinese team." She told the surging news reporter.
As for Zhao Yunlei herself, after being inducted into the World Badminton Hall of Fame, she will, as always, contribute to the development and promotion of Badminton in China.
"Badminton not only taught me how to win games, but also taught me how to face difficulties calmly in life, which is also an important reason why I want to pass on the spirit of sportsmanship and the Olympic spirit to young people."
Every time I have the opportunity to promote badminton in the youth group, Zhao Yunlei will use her own personal experience to say: "I have encountered many difficulties in my career, lost battles, and cried my nose, so I will tell them that when they encounter difficulties, first of all, they must not be afraid of difficulties." ”
"Difficulties bring you more behind the things, how do we prepare in advance, think of a solution, and know in mind, so that we can face difficulties more calmly."
In the future, Zhao Yunlei will continue to work and work hard, in her own words, entering the Hall of Fame "does not mean how high I have reached, but has entered a new stage of contributing to sports."
"In the future, no matter how my identity changes, I will always be committed to the promotion and development of badminton, and continue to contribute to the charm of badminton."
Editor-in-Charge: Ascendas
Proofreader: Luan Meng