Preface
Whenever the women's volleyball team is mentioned, everyone will definitely think of the Chinese women's volleyball team's "five consecutive championships", the peak period in volleyball history.
During that time, there were many powerful athletes, and Yang Xiaojun was one of them.
She once helped the women's volleyball team win the "three consecutive championships" with her main secondary attack, and at her peak, she won the "Best Pass Award"!
But after she retired, she chose to go to Germany, where she was unfamiliar with her life, and met her "true love" there, and after giving birth to a daughter, the other party chose to divorce her.
What happened to Yang Xiaojun, and why did she insist on going to Germany?
Yang Xiaojun
Travelling to Germany to play and meeting true love?
In 1988, at the Seoul Olympics, the Chinese women's volleyball team tried its best to meet its opponents, and finally only finished third.
It stands to reason that winning third place should be encouraged, and I hope to continue to work hard next time, after all, victory and defeat are a common thing in soldiers.
Chinese Women's Volleyball Team (Scenario Simulation)
But some media reporters desperately "smeared" the women's volleyball players for the sake of the so-called traffic, which undoubtedly hurt the hearts of the players and many fans.
The main reason for this is that the head coach has just taken office for a short time, and most of the team members are "old" players, and they are a little older in terms of age, and the newcomers in the team lack actual combat experience, which leads to the overall strength of the team is somewhat weak.
Chinese Women's Volleyball Team (Scenario Simulation)
It was also in this game that many players chose to retire, including 25-year-old Yang Xiaojun.
Yang Xiaojun
In 1990, a German women's volleyball club invited her to play with a high salary and generous treatment.
Yang Xiaojun originally wanted to refuse, after all, the people there are unfamiliar with the place, and the language is not yet understood, if you go, it will be inconvenient to do anything.
Yang Xiaojun
However, she thought that her economic conditions did not seem to be very good, and she couldn't find much savings in her body.
After some careful consideration, she decided to go to Germany, after all, there is not much pressure to play there, and the salary is not bad, maybe she can make a name for herself as a Chinese.
Yang Xiaojun
Just after the Spring Festival ended that year, she came to Germany, a strange country, with her equipment.
Due to the perennial competition and training, Yang Xiaojun was still single at this time, and her parents hoped that she could find a better half to take care of her life.
Of course, she also thinks so, and it would be great if the other party was still "Prince Charming".
Germany
At this moment, a man named Yata walked into Yang Xiaojun's sight, the other party and her are both volleyball players, and the other party is tall and handsome, which is completely in line with the image of Prince Charming in her mind.
At this time, she only had some good feelings for Yata, but not in love, but Yata fell in love with Yang Xiaojun and began to launch an "offensive".
Yang Xiaojun
And Yata seems to understand this very well, he knows that Yang Xiaojun does not understand Chinese when he first comes to Germany.
So, he took the initiative to find a famous local German crash course and accompanied Yang Xiaojun to take classes.
German course (scenario simulation)
Whenever he was free on weekends, he would take Yang Xiaojun to taste food from all over the world, and even often cook in person, and gradually Yang Xiaojun liked each other.
On a date, they confirmed their relationship, but the love was opposed by the family, and they didn't want their daughter to be in an exotic relationship.
Yang Xiaojun
But people who are in love, no matter what they say, the other party can't listen to them, and even sing the opposite.
And Yang Xiaojun is like this, the more her family opposes her, the more insistent she becomes, and finally she and Yata get married in Germany.
From left: Chen Zhonghe, Zheng Meizhu, Chen Yaqiong, Hou Yuzhu
At this time, she also made a name for herself in volleyball in Germany, and after her contract expired, the club hired her as a women's volleyball coach.
Not long after marriage, their daughter came into this world, and her husband wanted to continue playing, if Yang Xiaojun also played, then there would be no one to take care of the child.
In desperation, she could only give up the volleyball she wanted and put all her thoughts on the family.
Yang Xiaojun trains German players
Since the husband plays in the field all the year round, their relationship is also changing, and every time the husband comes home, they will quarrel over various trivial matters.
In 2000, they chose to divorce, and their daughter was raised by Yang Xiaojun.
Yang Xiaojun
After the divorce, Yang Xiaojun did not choose to come back, but engaged in a new industry in Germany, but she did not forget China, she would teach her daughter to speak Chinese when she was fine, and she would return to China during the New Year's holidays to see the great rivers and mountains of the motherland.
Yang Xiaojun's daughter
I have been paying attention to any dynamics of the Chinese women's volleyball team and am happy for them.
Yang Xiaojun once thought about returning to the field she loved, but she didn't, because she felt that her age was no longer suitable for sports.
Yang Xiaojun and her daughter
She can only pin her volleyball dream on her daughter, and hope that her daughter can complete her unfinished dream for her, all of which are unknown, depending on her daughter's thoughts.
Today, Yang Xiaojun still has a regret in his heart, why did he come to Germany in the first place, and if he didn't come here, would he experience a different life!
Yang Xiaojun
An indissoluble bond with volleyball
Before the age of 13, Yang Xiaojun had never been exposed to volleyball, and the reason why she was exposed to volleyball was also because of an accident.
In 1976, the junior high school teacher led them to the gymnasium to play volleyball, and her relationship with volleyball began.
It was also this experience that made her fall in love with volleyball, even to the point of being out of control.
Yang Xiaojun on the court
It didn't take long for Yang Xiaojun to be selected by an amateur sports school in Beijing, because she was indeed very talented in volleyball.
She started volleyball later than any other kid her age, so she spent more time than usual training.
Yang Xiaojun
In less than half a year, she was selected to Shichahai Sports School, where she received more professional training.
It took less than 2 years for Yang Xiaojun to join the Beijing women's volleyball team from his first contact with volleyball.
Yang Xiaojun on the field
The debut was the pinnacle and won the "three consecutive championships"
In 1982, the Chinese women's volleyball team has completed the "two consecutive championships", and many old players have chosen to retire, and they urgently need to join the newcomers at this time to inject fresh blood into this team.
Women's volleyball in the 80s
In 1983, Yang Xiaojun was selected for the national team with her excellent performance in the domestic arena.
In the same year, the Asian Women's Volleyball Championship started as scheduled, and Yang Xiaojun went out with the team, but finally lost to the opponent and only won the runner-up.
Although he lost the competition, he gained his experience in international competitions.
Women's volleyball in the 80s
The following year, Yang Xiaojun, as the main assistant attacker, helped the women's volleyball team win the Super Women's Volleyball Championship.
At the Los Angeles Olympics, all the spectators and fans saw Yang Xiaojun's excellent performance, and she became the "nail household" of the secondary attack, as long as there is a game, she can always be seen in the position of the secondary attacker.
Won the gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics
In 1985, on the Women's Volleyball World Cup, Yang Xiaojun once again showed a super secondary offensive ability, especially in the tacit cooperation with the main attacker, which was pleasing to the eye.
In that World Cup, the Chinese women's volleyball team played a total of 7 games and won all of them, and finally won the championship.
Chinese Women's Volleyball Team (Scenario Simulation)
In 1986, the Women's Volleyball World Championship was officially held, and the Chinese team and the Cuban team became the favorites to win the championship, and finally the two teams met in the final.
After four fierce matchups, the champion was successfully born, and the Chinese women's volleyball team defeated the Cuban team with a score of 3:1 and created the legend of "five consecutive championships", which made the whole country excited.
The women's volleyball team won five consecutive championships
And Yang Xiaojun also won the best pass award in this duel, and the results of the women's volleyball team also reached a historical peak at this time.
Since she moved to Germany, she has rarely been seen in the eyes of her countrymen.
Women's volleyball team wins the championship (scenario simulation)
Until 2015, when she saw that the Chinese women's volleyball team was competing for the head coach, she signed up without saying a word, but found that her colleagues who had played with her also participated in the competition, so she chose to give up.
Later, there were still many people pursuing Yang Xiaojun, but she politely rejected them, maybe she didn't want to experience another failed love!
Yang Xiaojun and her daughter
epilogue
Today, Yang Xiaojun is 60 years old, and he still hasn't found his other half, and he hasn't chosen to return to China for the time being.
But she has not given up on the volleyball she loves, and is even looking for opportunities to work hard for the development of national volleyball.