Once upon a time, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang were superstars in the gymnastics world, shining on the field and honoring countless times. Today, the former gymnastics twins are over half a hundred years old, and their hair is as gray as frost.
But it is gratifying that despite the vicissitudes of life that the years have mercilessly carved on their faces, their spirit still shines brightly, as vividly and brightly as it did back then.
At that time, they were no longer full of ambition to gallop in the gymnastics arena, but lived an ordinary life no different from ordinary people. But it is precisely because of the dazzling light that has bloomed on the sports stage, even today when they have returned to the dust, they are still heroic and sassy, and they can be called the real winners in life.
The white-haired Li Xiaoshuang is now the husband of business celebrity Zhang Beining. As Li Xiaoshuang's confidant and beloved, Zhang Beining knows what gymnastics means to her husband.
Even if the lives of the two today have long been far away from the disturbance of the sports world, Li Xiaoshuang still has an undying love for gymnastics.
Fortunately, Zhang Beining and her husband also have similar interests. She understands that if one day they adopt a child or give birth to their own flesh and blood, Li Xiaoshuang will definitely do his best to pass on the passion of gymnastics.
In this regard, Zhang Beining sincerely agreed. She knows that this will not only fulfill her family's expectations, but also continue her husband's fine sports tradition.
Despite this, Li Xiaoshuang and Zhang Beining's lives were not all smooth sailing. This loving couple has been married for many years, but they have not been able to conceive an heir so far, so as to continue the incense lineage.
But Li Xiaoshuang, a veteran gymnast, did not dwell on this. In his opinion, if one day he can welcome his own children and pass on the cause of gymnastics to future generations, it will be the greatest fulfillment of life.
A journey of struggle and perseverance
To tell the legendary life of Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang, we have to start with their growth story. The twin brothers were born into a poor family, with a father who was a hard-working porter and a mother who worked as a chorre in a guest house.
The family is already struggling, and the birth of twins has undoubtedly made the family even worse.
In order to ease the burden on their families, the young brothers were sent to their grandmother's house thousands of miles away for foster care. The environment is harsh, even the houses are only simple straw huts, and the rooms are damp when it rains, and the winter is even more bitterly cold.
However, despite such an embarrassing living environment, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang have not lost their childhood innocence and childishness, and they have found warm solace in each other's company.
It was in these days of dependence that the 6-year-old showed their extraordinary gymnastics talent for the first time while playing. At that time, the brothers wantonly swayed all kinds of unique skills, such as empty-handed flips, planks and other actions, which attracted passers-by to stop and watch, and bursts of applause.
More crucially, a coach was spying on all of this.
That coach was none other than the famous Ding Xiapeng, and after witnessing the brothers' outstanding talents, she did not hesitate to invite them to join her gymnastics class. Although Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang were hesitant at first, they finally nodded and agreed to this life-changing proposal.
Since then, the twins have embarked on a path of gymnastics like never before. Under the careful guidance of Coach Ding Xiapeng, they gradually honed their unique skills and styles, and initially emerged in the gymnastics world.
It's just that their stature and posture were really lacking at the time, and it was difficult to be completely satisfied.
But Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang were never discouraged. In order to make up for this shortcoming, Xiaoshuang has to stretch diligently every day, and even have to carry heavy loads for special training, while Dashuang also works hard and fights side by side with his younger brother.
It is with tenacious perseverance and persistent pursuit of gymnastics that the two finally found their own direction in life.
The national team's championship is intertwined with setbacks
After going through hard training, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang finally obtained the coveted national team qualification and officially stepped on the top stage of gymnastics. The year was 1983, and thanks to their exceptional talent and tenacity, the twins quickly made their mark at provincial and national level, showing an enviable level of prowess.
At that time, the coaching staff of the national team was full of praise for the brothers. In their eyes, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang are simply the embodiment of "talented athletes", and their prospects are limitless.
And for the two brothers, this is undoubtedly a great affirmation and encouragement, and they seem to be about to become a blockbuster and become famous in the sports world.
However, just when they thought they could finally take off as they wished, a hard blow dragged them into the trough of their lives again. It turns out that it is not easy to obtain the official qualification of the national team, and the team is extremely strict with the assessment standards of the players, and even the slightest flaw in body and posture may be ruthlessly eliminated.
Unfortunately, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang were ultimately unheard from the national team because of this small flaw. When they waited for many days, they received a notice of "returning home", which really hit them hard, as if they had been hit in the face.
This news undoubtedly disappointed the two brothers, as if all the efforts in their lives had been in vain. But fortunately, the consistent coach Liu Changsheng gave them timely encouragement and support, helping them regain their fighting spirit.
In this way, with the support of their coaches and their own tenacity, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang ushered in a new challenge - they decided to participate in the first City Sports Conference and attack a higher goal.
After a lot of hard work, in the third year, they finally got the admission letter of the national team with excellent results, and fulfilled their dream of joining this top team.
However, once they truly became part of the national team, the brothers were in the tiger's den. In this team full of talents, they are not the brightest star, but rather eclipsed.
But in the face of such pressure and difficulties, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang did not retreat timidly, they rose to the challenge and were unswerving. On the field, they galloped like two fierce tigers, winning one proud record after another.
At this moment, bad luck struck again. Li Xiaoshuang accidentally fell during a field evaluation, and the back of his head hit the ground and was in pain. However, by taking painkillers alone, he managed to hold on and eventually won the vault event.
But in the next few years, new injuries and old troubles, Li Xiaoshuang suffered unprecedented pain and torture, and every time the cold came and went, he was like colic, which was heart-wrenching.
A new chapter in his life after retirement
The pain and blow finally made Li Xiaoshuang make the decision to retire in 1997. Faced with his younger brother's choice, as the eldest brother who is as kind to Li Xiaoshuang, Li Dashuang resolutely chose to accompany him and quit the national team with him.
In this way, the former gymnastics twins closed at their peak and drew the end of their brilliant careers cautiously and proudly.
After retiring, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang came to a new stage of life and began to seek a new way out. In 1995, Li Dashuang married Shi Xuan, a talented woman in the business world, and started a new entrepreneurial road.
The trio soon co-founded a sporting goods company under a common plan, and one was in charge of internal and external affairs.
With the help of Li Xiaoshuang's once huge influence in the sports world, their company soon opened up a new world in the market. The company's operation was very smooth in the early days, and it also allowed the brothers to reap the sweetness of getting rich.
So, they expanded their business territory and founded a gymnastics school under the strong promotion of Li Xiaoshuang.
It's a pity that the good start doesn't end well. Due to the need to improve the business philosophy and management level, the gymnastics school only operated for a few months before suffering the fate of bankruptcy and ending without a problem.
During this period, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang also fell into an unprecedented financial crisis.
But frustration is often the beginning of new opportunities. It is precisely by relying on the huge popularity of the former gymnastics stars that Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang successfully attracted the favor of Chery Automobile, obtained considerable sponsorship fees, and their financial situation once recovered.
With this staggering income, the two set their sights on Shanghai, where they opened a teahouse business, but still failed to achieve the desired results.
After many entrepreneurial attempts, Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang also seem to realize that the road to business is not suitable for their pair of pure sports stars. So, they chose a relatively comfortable lifestyle.
In 2003, Li Xiaoshuang met the popular singer Zhang Beining, and the two hit it off, looked at each other and fell in love, and finally entered the palace of marriage.
For Li Dashuang, his relationship with actor Li Lin was exposed late. The two were seen playing out in 2009, when they denied the existence of a relationship.
But with the passage of time, in 2012, Li Lin finally shared the wedding photos of the two on her personal social platform and officially disclosed the relationship.
Personal life and ideals and beliefs
Although Li Xiaoshuang and Zhang Beining have been married for many years, it is a pity that they have not been able to have their own heirs. As a gymnastics superstar who dominated the past in the past, Li Xiaoshuang naturally has regrets about this matter.
But at the same time, he has his own unique philosophy of life.
Li Xiaoshuang often coaxed his wife Zhang Beining to say that if one day they adopted a child or gave birth to their own flesh and blood, he would definitely pass on the passion for gymnastics and never disappoint the family's expectations for sports.
As Li Xiaoshuang's confidant and beloved, Zhang Beining of course sincerely agrees with her husband's idea.
This approval is not only due to her support for her husband, but also because of her love for gymnastics. In Zhang Beining's view, gymnastics is not only the career pursued by Li Xiaoshuang all his life, but also the common ideal of the couple.
It is precisely because of this common belief that even if they are over half a hundred years old, Zhang Beining and Li Xiaoshuang are still full of vitality and have infinite expectations for the future.
At the same time, Li Dashuang and his wife Li Lin also lived a very happy life. Although the couple hid their feelings from outsiders for a while, they eventually went public about their relationship in 2012, receiving blessings from all walks of life.
Looking back, the life paths of Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang, the two gymnastics heroes, are really full of thorns. But it is precisely because they have the courage to pursue their dreams and ideals that they have been able to strive for self-improvement in the face of difficulties and move towards glory step by step.
Now, with gray hair, they can finally enjoy their old age in peace, and gymnastics is destined to live on forever in the hearts of the two.
It is out of this persistent love for gymnastics that Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang have passed on their ideals and ambitions from generation to generation. In addition to teaching by word and deed in life, they also contribute to it by their own actions.
For example, whenever they have free time, the brothers always come forward to participate in various charity activities to help children living in poverty, so that they can live a stable and happy life.
Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang know that only by freeing the next generation of young people from poverty and misery can their passion for sports be sustained.
In addition, the duo devoted themselves to the establishment of a new sports school. This school is not for profit, but aims to provide a stage for young people with dreams and passions to release themselves and sweat.
Here, countless children with difficult economic conditions or lack of parental care have been able to settle down and pursue their sports dreams.