In my lifetime, I am happy to meet you, please click "Follow", thank you for your support.
In November 2022, in a family photo, Wang Tao's hair has turned gray, and his body is much thinner than when he was young. The years had left traces of vicissitudes on his handsome countenance, making him look even more emaciated and haggard than his actual age.
However, what is touching is that although time has ruthlessly deprived Wang Tao of his youthful demeanor, it cannot deprive him of his deep love for his lover Guan Hua. In this photo, Wang Tao, who has entered middle age, and his wife Guan Hua are still in love, snuggling up to each other for the second half of their lives.
This middle-aged couple once led Chinese table tennis out of the trough, and they are the embodiment of the most entangled grievances and inspirational legends in the table tennis world. From a teenager from an ordinary background, to the pinnacle of table tennis, and then to the head of the State General Administration of Sports, Wang Tao used his life to interpret a touching story about struggle, love and inspiration.
In 1967, Wang Tao was born in Beijing into a family of artists. His father, Wang Shijun, is a famous performer and composer of the ACFTU Art Troupe, and his mother, He Yufang, is a national first-class singer.
In this artistic family with a strong atmosphere, Wang Tao was brought into the palace of table tennis by his father since he was a child.
When he was only one year old, his father took the immature Wang Tao into the training hall, and at the age of three, he prepared a pair of children's rackets for him, and Wang Tao's table tennis road kicked off.
During the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, although his family suffered heavy damage, Wang Tao still insisted on going home every night to practice, reflecting his incomparable love for the sport and tenacious perseverance.
At the age of 10, Wang Tao enrolled in Beijing Sports School and began formal table tennis training. He is regarded as the "jewel" of football and the coach has high hopes for him.
However, the 1.65m size soon became a stumbling block, which led him to be rejected by the team again and again, and even almost blocked his path to the national team.
In the long and arduous 13 years, Wang Tao traveled all over the country, after several setbacks and displacement, until he was 21 years old, he finally won the appreciation of Cai Zhenhua, the head coach of the national table tennis men's team at that time, and was included in the national team.
Since then, a new chapter has been opened in his career.
After joining the Bayi table tennis team, Wang Tao and Guan Hua formed a fate. At that time, Guan Hua was graceful and charming, and was known as "the lonely phoenix in the Chinese table tennis world".
As soon as her soft figure appeared, Wang Tao's heart was very excited and his heart was full of joy.
Similarly, Guan Hua was fascinated by Wang Tao's unstoppable athletic temperament and perseverance. Although both of them were still young and immature at the time and had never been involved in romantic matters, they already had a hidden affection and appreciation for each other.
In 1987, Guan Hua broke the deadlock one step ahead of Wang Tao and was exceptionally promoted to a member of the national table tennis team.
At that time, Wang Tao felt sorry for himself, lamenting that he was born with insufficient height and had no chance to be favored by the coach. Guan Hua affectionately encouraged him not to give up on his dreams.
In 1988, Wang Tao finally joined the national team, and the bond between the two continued. At that time, the coaches were extremely sensitive to the love problems of the players, and after learning about Wang Tao and Guan Hua, they personally interviewed them and ordered them to make trade-offs.
In the end, Guan Hua voluntarily chose to withdraw from the national team. On the day she left the team, Wang Tao plucked up the courage and implored Guan Hua to accept his love, and the two officially established their relationship from then on.
In 1994, 27-year-old Wang Tao and Guan Hua entered the palace of marriage in a low-key manner, but they only received a marriage certificate and did not hold a grand wedding. After getting married, the two joined the national team and the Bayi team respectively, and they still shared things and were rarely reunited.
But Guan Hua wholeheartedly supported Wang Tao's career, shouldered the burden of the family alone, and often had to take care of his two elderly in-laws. It is with Guan Hua's selfless dedication that Wang Tao can devote himself to the table tennis career and create one brilliant brilliance after another.
Under the reuse of head coach Cai Zhenhua, the glorious period of Wang Tao's career began. In 1992, in the men's doubles final of the 25th Barcelona Olympic Games, Wang Tao and his partner Lu Lin went through a difficult journey of ups and downs, and finally defeated the German pair Roskov/Fizner, known as the "golden partner", in the final championship match, and won the first Olympic gold medal for the Chinese table tennis team! This exciting victory marked the successful trough of Chinese men's table tennis and opened a new glorious era.
Looking back on the preparation process for this final, Wang Tao/Lu Lin suffered a farce-like accident. The vehicle rushing to the competition venue that day was lost, and head coach Cai Zhenhua had to decisively lead the two to get out of the car and take a taxi.
With just 30 minutes to prepare, they had to brave the final arena and take on a strong opponent.
Fortunately, with years of tacit cooperation, Wang Tao's ferocious near-Taiwan attack and Lu Lin's ease in the far and far platform, the two finally defeated their opponents with a total score of 3:2 in the fierce five-game battle, and won the coveted Olympic gold medal! At that moment, a touching hug celebration scene was staged on the scene, and Cai Zhenhua was even more excited with tears in his eyes, hugging Wang Tao tightly and expressing his heartfelt congratulations to him.
In 1995, Wang Tao returned to his hometown Tianjin, and at the World Table Tennis Championships that year, he won three crowns and became the mainstay of the 43rd World Table Tennis Championships Swaythling Cup Championship trophy.
In the men's team championship match, Wang Tao took on the burden in the crucial fifth game and defeated the Swedish veteran Persson with an overwhelming score of 2:0, opening the door to the final victory for the national team.
At that moment, when the joy of victory came, Wang Tao was so excited that he lay down on the field, his teammates stepped forward one after another, and everyone hugged each other with tears in their eyes. In the audience, his wife Guan Hua and his family were also moved to tears and cheered.
This battle not only recorded the Tianjin World Table Tennis Championships in the history of Chinese table tennis forever, but also marked that the Chinese men's team completely walked out of the haze and re-shouldered the heavy responsibility of defending the honor.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Wang Tao once again competed in the men's singles and men's doubles events, although he and Lu Lin eventually lost to the younger generation of Liu Guoliang/Kong Linghui combination, and only won a silver medal in men's doubles, but in the men's singles event, Wang Tao won a precious silver for the national team alone.
As a highly decorated national player, Wang Tao has won the honor of "National Top Ten Athletes" three times, and fans are extremely enthusiastic about him.
In 1997, Wang Tao, who was over 30 years old, retired with honor and went to Japan to seek new development opportunities. But his love and dedication to table tennis led him to return to his homeland two years later and become the coach of the Bayi men's table tennis team.
As a former national player, Wang Tao has unique insights and rich experience in table tennis. Under his careful guidance, the Bayi team has repeatedly achieved great results in major competitions across the country, and has successively cultivated a number of new generation outstanding players such as Wang Hao and Fan Zhendong.
These rising stars have made a name for themselves on the world stage, earning numerous accolades for their country, including the highest levels of world and Olympic titles.
Although the Bayi table tennis team was unfortunately disbanded in 2018, Wang Tao is still determined and chooses to stick to the forefront of the table tennis career. He is now the director of the Baseball and Softball Management Center of the General Administration of Sports of China, contributing his wisdom and strength to the development of national sports.
From a young table tennis rookie, to a leader of the national team, to an excellent coach who cultivates rising stars, to now as the leader of an important sports organization, Wang Tao has interpreted a sincere table tennis story with his life.
His life has been full of ups and downs and legends, but he never gave up his love for the sport, and it was this unwavering dedication that led him to glory.
Time flies, and the once high-spirited Wang Tao has entered the second half of his life. His handsome face has left traces of the vicissitudes of time, and the elegance of youth has long since ceased to exist.
But by his wife Guan Hua's side, he still felt the eternal warmth of love.
This middle-aged couple is as loving as ever, snuggling up to each other and spending their old age. Although they are no longer young, the deep love between them has never been washed away and worn away by time.
It is with Guan Hua's selfless support and companionship that Wang Tao can devote himself to his career and finally create a legend in the table tennis world.
This ping-pong relationship is entangled in struggle, love and inspiration, with ups and downs and exciting. It will forever inspire countless latecomers to bravely pursue their dreams, persevere, move forward bravely, and write their own legendary chapters on the field of life.