Once upon a time, Zhang Jike and Liu Shiwen were known as the purest love affair in the sports world, like a golden boy and a girl, but now, 10 years have passed, but their careers are very different, which is embarrassing.
According to reports, Zhang Jike and Liu Shiwen's relationship lasted for 7 years.
Zhang Jike and Liu Shiwen are two of the top athletes on China's table tennis team, and their romance was once the focus of public attention. The two began dating when they were teenagers, when Zhang Jike was only 18 years old, and Liu Shiwen was only 15 years old.
Back then, how much did Zhang Jike love Liu Shiwen?
In a national table tennis Spring Festival Gala, when Liu Shiwen toasted to the head coach, Zhang Jike interjected: "She doesn't know how to drink." This detail is enough to see Zhang Jike's understanding and concern for Liu Shiwen, but he was also teased by his teammates. This kind of care condenses the long-term relationship and deep affection between them, and it is very romantic.
During their seven years of dating, the two have experienced many moments in common, including career highs and lows and mutual support. The media broke the news that during the 2016 Rio Olympics, Zhang Jike suffered a serious back injury, and Liu Shiwen volunteered to take care of him, which was beautiful and heartwarming.
According to reports, the relationship between Zhang Jike and Liu Shiwen began in 2004, when Zhang Jike was returned to the provincial team for violating team rules, and his QQ space was only open to Liu Shiwen alone. In November 2006, Zhang Jike returned to the national team, and soon after on December 21, the two confirmed their relationship.
During their relationship, both men have experienced career ups and downs, including successes and failures in international competitions. But in some important international competitions, they did not win the championship.
Due to various reasons, including career pressure, personal growth, and future planning, especially the opposition of the coach, as well as Zhang Jike's father's high requirements for his future daughter-in-law (the height cannot be less than 1.68 meters), they finally chose to break up peacefully.
The relationship lasted until 2011, and the two eventually ended their relationship for various reasons.
After the breakup, both have made remarkable achievements in their respective fields, Zhang Jike won the men's singles championship at the Rio Olympics, and Liu Shiwen also has a good performance in the women's table tennis world, achieving five World Cup titles.
Today, Zhang Jike and Liu Shiwen's careers are not the same.
At work, Liu Shiwen was elected as the President of the ITTF Athletes' Commission. In life, Liu Shiwen can afford a luxury bag of 60,000 yuan, which is very heroic.
On December 2, 2022, in the ITTF Athletes' Commission election held in Amman, the capital of Jordan, Chinese table tennis player Liu Shiwen was elected as the new president. This is a recognition of her influence in the international table tennis arena and an important milestone in her career.
Recently, Liu Shiwen wore a luxury bag worth about 60,000 yuan, which shows the temperament of Bai Fumei, and it is reported that Liu Shiwen's assets have already exceeded 100 million. As a result, she has the financial means to purchase high-value goods, including clothing and accessories from luxury brands.
As for Zhang Jike, since the Jing Tian incident, his income and popularity have never returned to their peak.
As a legend of Chinese table tennis, Zhang Jike has had a very brilliant career, with an annual income of 60 million yuan.
However, now he has chosen to join a club that mainly serves student-athletes as a technical consultant and signature coach, and it is reported that the monthly salary is only about 30,000 yuan. Although this is a significant reduction from his income as an athlete, he still uses his expertise and experience to contribute to the development of a new generation of table tennis players.
It must be exaggerated that he did not choose to go to the Japanese team to make money, and decisively refused the invitation, but stayed in the Chinese club, attracting many parents to sign up for their children, and he is also serious about teaching children.
Although there have been some controversies and challenges in Zhang's personal life, they have been part of his life journey. It is important that he is able to learn from the experience and move on, using his expertise to contribute to society.
The love affair has ended, but their achievements in the field of sports and their contribution to table tennis are still remembered by fans. At the same time, they are still great, don't forget Liu Shiwen's tears for Ao Yin, and don't forget Zhang Jike's courage to reject the Japanese team.