Li Yongbo, this name is known to everyone in the Chinese badminton industry. He used to be the head coach of the Chinese badminton team, leading Guoyu to create countless brilliant achievements. He once boasted of producing 100 world champions, and he pretty much did. He has produced 92 world champions, including Lin Dan, Chen Long, Ge Fei and Zhang Ning and other Grand Slam winners.
However, in April 2017, Li Yongbo suddenly stepped down as the head coach of Guoyu, which caused speculation and discussion from all sides. Some say he was forced to leave class because of a decline in his grades, some say he voluntarily resigned due to physical reasons, and others say he left the sports world because he wanted to enter politics. So, why did Li Yongbo leave class? What is he doing now? Let's solve this mystery together!
Why is class over? Li Mao, a long-time mortal enemy: He lost the gold medal for freedom from death
Li Yongbo has achieved amazing results during his 24 years in charge of Guoyu. He led Guoyu to 18 gold medals at the Olympics, 44 World Championships, and several consecutive titles in the Thomas Cup, Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup. He is known as a meritorious coach in the Chinese badminton industry and is also known as the "Demon King".
However, after the 2012 London Olympics, Guoyu's performance began to decline. The women's singles event has not won a world championship for four consecutive years, and the Rio Olympics have not won a medal; The women's doubles event has always been the absolute trump card of the national badminton event, but it did not win a medal at the Rio Olympics. The men's team failed to reach the final for two consecutive Thomas Cups and lost the gold medal for the men's team at the Incheon Asian Games. With the retirement of Wang Yihan, Wang Shixian, Zhao Yunlei, Tian Qing, Yu Yang, Ma Jin and other famous players, the Chinese women's team quickly entered a trough.
These achievements put Li Yongbo under great pressure and doubt. Some people think that he has lost the ability and courage to control the national feather, some people think that he has fallen behind the times and trends, and some people think that he has no ideas and methods for innovation and change. Li Yongbo also once said in an interview that he felt very tired and tired and wanted to retire to let young people go.
Li Yongbo's long-time sworn enemy, former national team coach Li Mao, made a sharp analysis of Li Yongbo's reasons for leaving class in an interview with the media. He said: "Li Yongbo's dismissal was mainly because he lost the gold medal for avoiding death. What is Death-Free Gold? It's the women's doubles. Women's doubles is a life-saving event for Guoya, as long as there is women's doubles, Guoya will not collapse. But at the Rio Olympics, the women's doubles did not win a medal, which was the first time in the history of the national badminton. This is equivalent to cutting off Li Yongbo's back road and making him lose his last confidence and confidence. ”
Although Li Mao's words are a little mean, they are not unreasonable. The women's doubles event is indeed the trump card of the national badminton event, which has maintained its monopoly on Olympic gold medals in the women's doubles event since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games were broken. It was also the first time that Guoyu lost the women's doubles gold medal at the Olympics. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Li Yongbo.
What do you do after leaving office? Run abroad to grow durian
After Li Yongbo stepped down as the head coach of Guoyu, he did not completely retire from the sports world. He served as a member of the Expert Committee of the Chinese Olympic Committee, responsible for providing advice and suggestions for China's sports industry. He also continued to serve as the vice chairman of the Chinese Badminton Association and participated in the development and management of badminton in China.
However, these tasks did not take up much of Li Yongbo's time and energy. He also has a bolder and more interesting plan, that is, to run abroad to grow durian.
Li Yongbo once revealed in an interview that he likes durian very much and is very interested in durian cultivation. He said: "I think durian is a very amazing fruit, it has a strong taste and high nutritional value. I wanted to grow durian myself and see how it grows. ”
Therefore, Li Yongbo began to go to Malaysia continuously, conducting on-site investigations, selecting seeds, and talking about cooperative investment, each of which he personally experienced. He rented hundreds of acres of land in Malaysia and planted dozens of varieties of durian. He also hired a professional team to manage and operate and build his own durian brand.
Li Yongbo said: "I think growing durian is a very meaningful thing, it can make me relax, and it can also bring delicious and healthy to people. I hope that my durian can go to the world and let more people know and like this fruit. ”
epilogue
Li Yongbo's plan to grow durians has also attracted the attention and curiosity of many people. Some say he's there to make money, some say he's to enjoy life, and some say he's fulfilling his dreams. In any case, Li Yongbo has proved with his actions that he is a person with pursuits and ideals, and he is not willing to rest on his laurels, but dares to try new things and open up new fields.
Li Yongbo once said: "I think life is like a race, you have to constantly challenge yourself and constantly surpass yourself." You can't always stay in one place, you have to see the outside world, to experience different cultures, to learn different things. You have to make yourself more colorful, more interesting and more flavorful. ”
Li Yongbo practiced this sentence with his life. He went from being a badminton player to a badminton coach and then to a durian grower. He has achieved remarkable achievements at every stage, and has also brought countless surprises and touches to people. He is a legend in the Chinese badminton industry and the pride of the Chinese sports industry.
Facts have proved that Li Yongbo, who has cultivated 92 world champions, has embarked on another road of life. He demonstrated Chinese power in his own way, as well as Chinese wisdom. He is a man who deserves our admiration and learning, and he is a true hero.