On May 14, 2023, the Suzhou Sudirman Cup kicked off its Olympic points competition.
On April 12, 2024, the 1/4 finals of the Ningbo Asian Championships, the last leg of the Olympic points competition.
From Suzhou to Ningbo, from the old year to the new year, Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi finally locked in the qualification for the Paris Olympics this afternoon after 334 days of hard work and waiting, and perhaps a trace of their self-assessed "good fate".
This pair of "veteran" partners from the new cycle of the Paris Olympics have had a bumpy road, but they have shown good competitiveness along the way, especially the so-called "big game". The Sudirman Cup in May 2023 was the first stop of the Olympic points race, and they staged a thrilling 16-20 comeback in the semi-finals.
However, none of them have been as they started to, and most of the time they are struggling to catch up in the midst of hidden worries. First, he missed the quarterfinals for four consecutive tournaments, and then he was stuck in the quarterfinals in high-level events such as the World Championships, Changzhou Championships, and Asian Games. Thankfully, France made it to the semi-finals, and the winner of Haylou gave them the last chance to qualify for the finals.
In the finals in Hangzhou, they won three consecutive victories in the group stage, qualified first in the group, and finally stopped in the semifinals. I thought that the okay year-end closing would be a good start to the new year, but the reality is that the first half of 2024 will be pushed to the edge of the cliff step by step. From the beginning of the year to the Asian Championships, they only scored one valid point in the Indonesia 500 in five races, especially the consecutive "second rounds" of All England and France, which directly set the way to the Ningbo Asian Championships, where they had to defend their position in eighth place at the time.
A last resort, there is no way back. Coming to Ningbo, with the main opponent "Scud" out of the first round and "any" second-round injury, the competition was ultimately left to "Liu Ou" and Chinese Taipei's Li Yang/Wang Chi-lin. In the first two rounds, "Liu Ou" was not in good shape, and in the first round against India, the second doubles were three games of hard fighting before winning 26-24 in the deciding game, and he also saved match points four times. In the second round against the little-known South Korean pair, they came back with a 16-20 win to score six points in a row. On the other hand, the opponent, "Antelope" is two consecutive 2-0 passes.
But it's good to win, because our goal is to "advance and retreat" with our opponents, and as long as we don't get left behind, we win. Coincidentally, "Liu Ou" and "Antelope" both played against the Malaysian pair today, and Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi, who took the lead, lost 0-2 to Xie Dingfeng/Su Weiyi after only 30 points, giving away the initiative.
But just like they said in the interview: "I have worked hard, fought to the last stop, and there is no regret." Besides, we have always had a good life. Indeed, although they stopped in the quarter-finals, their 6,600 points in the quarter-finals just replaced Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi's lowest score of 6,420, and they rose by 180 points in Ningbo!
At the end of the moment, the entire arena was boiling, so much so that Han Yue next to him was overwhelmed when he defeated Akane Yamaguchi for the first time. Even the Malaysian group bluntly said in the interview: "Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi should invite us to dinner!"
After 334 days of hard work and waiting, there have been countless lows and doubts, as well as highlights and hopes. Whether it is their own efforts, thanks to the wins and losses of different opponents, this position is what they have played back step by step, and it is their efforts in these 334 days and outside of these days, in every unseen moment. Finally today, in Ningbo, Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi finally officially locked the eighth position in the Olympic points rankings, officially got the ticket to the Paris Olympics, and the Chinese badminton team finally achieved the goal of full participation in the Paris Olympics.
Countless people said hello online and offline, and today's Asian Championships were excited by the good news of "Liu Ou". Liu Yuchen's father, badminton coach Liu Huisheng, sent this to reporters on WeChat: "They should congratulate themselves! They should believe that they will definitely get tickets to the Olympics." You also talk to them in private, set your mentality, put down your baggage, and travel lightly!"
The past may not be dark and untraceable, and the road to the future will be bright. Today is a good day, may you cherish the next 100 days and run to Paris with the greatest courage and confidence!