In winter, table tennis, as a landmark sport on the mainland, occupies a unique position in the hearts of the people.
The trajectory of many people's lives has been turned upside down because of the sport, and many others have stepped into the public eye as a result.
For example, Zhang Jike won the hearts of countless fans during the competition because of his outstanding appearance, and he successfully entered the entertainment industry after retiring.
When we explored the sport more deeply, we found that there were so many handsome characters on the field, which made everyone sigh: it turns out that these handsome guys are all national-level athletes.
In fact, the athletes of the past were not inferior to the current "Zhang Jikes" in terms of appearance, and Jiang Jialiang is a classic example.
He is not only a key member of the table tennis team, but also the first player on the mainland to win the World Cup, and his achievements have been praised many times.
After a fierce competition in the world, he announced his official retirement from the sporting field, ending an illustrious decade of his sporting career.
It was not only the most memorable match of his career, but also his most confrontational, as he lost to Waldner and Aperillon before finishing runner-up in the team.
Since then, even after retiring, he has continued to care about the sporting world, providing guidance and support to young players from time to time.
His retirement not only marks the end of an era, but also his anticipation for a new chapter in his future life.
During this time, he also fell in love by the way, and successfully caught up with the "Hundred Flowers Queen" at that time.
However, just when he was in the limelight, he made mistakes in two important matches and finally chose to retire.
Even after retiring, he still cares about the sports world, actively participates in the training and guidance of the younger generations, constantly inherits his sportsmanship and experience, and makes unremitting efforts for the development of the sports world.
In fact, he was no longer in his former glory a year ago.
At the Seoul Olympics, he finished fifth.
He retired in 1989 due to successive defeats, but he did not give up his beloved table tennis.
At the invitation of the table tennis community in Singapore, he traveled there and worked as a coach. Later, he chose to return to China because the elderly in his family needed to be taken care of.
In order to survive, he, like many people, chose to do business in Shanghai.
However, he has always been concerned about table tennis, and in 2002, he founded his own table tennis school to provide excellent talents for the country.
And the reason why he did this, on the one hand, is it because of love, on the other hand, is there also regret?
Create miracles for the football world and retire at the peak.
His father was a table tennis enthusiast and belonged to the kind of master in the amateur team, so under the influence of his father, he also became interested in it.
From an early age, he showed great athletic talent. At just nine years old, he was discovered by the school and recruited into the track and field team, launching his career as an athlete.
As the years went by, by the age of thirteen, he had joined the local table tennis team and quickly became the core of the team.
By the time he was eighteen years old, he had already won several titles in the competition.
In his second year, he not only maintained his excellent performance, but also won the men's team championship for his country.
Since then, he has become the benchmark of our national table tennis team, and has played in the international arena many times as a main player.
Between 1985 and 1987, he appeared frequently in major tournaments and won many honors for his unique style of play.
During this period, he was not only selected as the "National Top Ten Athletes" twice, but also won the title of "National Top Ten Honors" many times.
Especially at the 39th World Table Tennis Championships, he defeated a strong opponent from Waldner at a critical moment and successfully won honor for the country, which engraved his name in the national sports annals.
He directly defeated the opponent with a score of 3:1 and became the men's singles champion at that time, and he was also a member of the Badminton Federation.
Although it was a big victory, this game was not easy, and the mental pressure alone almost made him breathless.
Fortunately, he won the game with his unique style of play, but it was this game that made him "targeted".
The other party began to study his style of play, and gradually studied the method of cracking, and at that time, our country had great limitations in terms of equipment and technology.
He naturally knows this, so in the second year's competition, although he was calm on the surface, he was not sure in his heart.
Sure enough, at the 1988 Olympics, he only reached the quarterfinals and was eliminated.
It's a pity that this mistake also made him pass with many mistakes. Prior to that, he had already won the men's singles and team titles.
Therefore, without his stunts, he chose to retire in the second year, and it is worth mentioning that his love blossomed at this time.
It was love at first sight with his wife and he lived a dull life.
In 1986, it was his most glorious time, that is, in this year, he met Wu Yufang at a party and fell in love with each other at first sight.
At this time, Wu Yufang was also on the rise in her career, and she just won the "Hundred Flowers Queen", but she didn't know him.
In the conversation with her friend, she learned the identity of the other party, knew that he was the pride of the motherland, and admired him more.
The two had an exchange at the party, exchanged contact information, and learned some information about both parties.
After that, the two confirmed their relationship in their daily relationship and began a sweet relationship. However, as a national team, he was not allowed to fall in love at will, and the news soon reached the ears of his coach.
Worried that it would affect his combat status, his coach had to reluctantly investigate the woman, and only after getting the results did he agree to the relationship between the two.
After marriage, they did not give up their dreams and struggle, but in the first year after marriage, he suddenly went berserk.
It's hard not to think that it was because of the decline in his combat effectiveness because of love, but fortunately, the news at the time was not well-informed, and they escaped.
After this incident, he retired the following year and went to Singapore as a coach, and the woman also put down her career and went with him.
During this experience, he took on the responsibilities of the family as a sports coach and his partner devoted herself to taking care of the children at home, she became a full-time housewife and brought two lovely daughters to their family.
He was deeply grateful for her sacrifice and dedication, so he supported her in pursuing her career dreams once their lives were stable.
Although their lives are uneventful now, they have each found their own place in their work, and their daughters have grown up.
The simplicity and tranquility of life make them feel different kinds of happiness.
He was a table tennis player who reached the pinnacle of his career, won honours for his country, and despite the failures and setbacks, he never gave up and accepted his shortcomings.