Before reading this article, please click "Follow", which is not only convenient for you to discuss and share, but also can bring you a different sense of participation, thank you for your support
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which is full of infinite possibilities and challenges, the leader of the Chinese badminton team, 33-year-old Chen Long, is facing the peak and challenges of his career. As an outstanding successor to previous captains such as Lin Dan, he shoulders the responsibility of revitalizing the glory of the badminton team. However, the shadow of pain and aging followed, casting doubt on his ability to regain his former glory.
As the men's singles final of the Tokyo Olympics arrived, Chen stepped onto the court to face a young and energetic opponent. At this moment, his heart was full of tension and uneasiness. At the beginning of the game, he did not perform well and quickly fell into passivity.
However, as time went on, memories of his miracles on the Circle came back to mind, and he gradually regained his form, eventually winning a fierce five-game battle but failing to defend his title.
At the post-match press conference, in response to reporters' questions, Chen Long replied frankly: "To be honest, I have done my best, but I can only say that the opponent is too strong. However, he was also aware of his responsibilities and felt that he had failed to carry on Lin Dan's spirit well, which led to a brief slump for the Chinese badminton team after Lin Dan's retirement.
Chen Long lowered his head, his eyes revealing deep worry. As the leader of the national team, he knows that his performance is directly related to the honor of the whole team. Although he won the silver medal, deep down in his heart, there was always an irreparable regret and self-blame, that is, the glory of his predecessors could not be continued in his hands.
Passionate about badminton since childhood, Chen has become a true professional after years of hard training, but Chen Long has never been complacent. On the contrary, he is constantly reflecting on his performance, looking for his own shortcomings, and striving to become a better athlete.
Chen Long was born into a sports family, his parents were both professional basketball players, so he was born with excellent sports genes. By the time he was six years old, he had reached a height of 1.38 meters, and his skeletal structure was unusually large, far exceeding the developmental level of his peers. Seeing that their son showed such extraordinary talent, his parents immediately decided to raise him to be an outstanding athlete.
Living in Jingzhou, Hubei Province, the "hometown of badminton", they naturally set their sights on this popular sport that has swept the world. One day, a sports school coach happened to pass by Chen Long's primary school and was attracted by his tall and powerful figure at a glance, so he immediately invited him to join his team.
Since then, Chen Long has lived a life of punctual classes every morning and rigorous training in the afternoon. Although it is only a small sports school in the village, the intensity of the training is not excessive, but the parents are both former athletes, so the expectations and requirements for their son are breathtaking.
After school, Chen Long's mother, Ms. Zhang Yuxia, would not hesitate to accompany her son for an extra two hours of intensive training, and the only time he could take a break during the whole process was only a short 10 minutes.
After countless high-intensity training sessions, Chen Long often fell asleep and exhausted in the car back home. However, his parents knew that only perseverance and hard work would make him stand out in the future.
As a result, under the strict requirements of his family, Chen Long gradually overcame his impetuous mentality such as laziness and eagerness for quick success, and devoted himself to the sharpening of his badminton skills. When he was only 11 years old, his potential had already attracted wide attention from people in the industry, and he was admitted to a professional sports school in Xiamen.
At first, Chen Long was full of resistance to the decision to leave his hometown and train alone in an unfamiliar city. For an 11-year-old, this is undoubtedly a huge challenge. Under the patient persuasion of his mother, Ms. Zhang Yuxia, he reluctantly made up his mind to leave that warm home.
During the journey, Chen Long sometimes fell into deep thought, thinking about his future, and sometimes felt extremely aggrieved, and his immature face revealed childlike helplessness. He even had the idea of escapism, trying to hide his ticket and leave it in that familiar land.
Seeing her son in such pain, her mother, Ms. Zhang Yuxia, wavered several times and wanted to give up the decision, but in the end, she still firmly sent her son to Xiamen.
In the new environment, Chen Long seemed at a loss at first. Different climatic conditions and eating habits made this child from Hubei feel homesick. He begged his mother many times to allow him to give up his training and return to his hometown, but in exchange for his mother's severe reprimands again and again.
Although the mother and son are thousands of miles apart, Ms. Zhang Yuxia is always concerned about her son's living situation. For the sake of the child's future, she can only endure the pain of cutting her love and put forward more stringent requirements for Chen Long. With the passage of time, under the guidance of his mother, Chen Long gradually adapted to the new environment, and also showed unprecedented focus and perseverance in training.
It is this unique growth process that has shaped Chen Long's tenacity and perseverance in the future. Every time he wields the racket, it seems to condense his endless longing for his hometown. In addition to this longing, it is more of an ardent expectation for a better sports career in the future.
In 2007, he won his first World Championship title at the world-renowned World Youth Championships. Such fruitful results made his brilliant name shine on the international stage for the first time.
Four years later, a new chapter in history was opened in 2011. This year, Chen Long was born like a dark horse, winning three men's singles championships in international badminton competitions one after another, two of which were the "ball king" Lee Chong Wei, who dominated Asia, and can be called the best among dark horses. Although he was runner-up in the finals, this series of outstanding performances has already shown the world how strong he is.
At London 2012, when Chen was just 22 years old, it was another key turning point in his career. As a member of the Chinese national team, he has attracted much attention, and everyone expects him to win his own glory on this world-class stage like Lin Dan and Li Zongwei.
As soon as the game began, Chen Long quickly entered the state, defeating many strong opponents one after another, overcoming obstacles along the way. At this stage, he showed extraordinary strength, a sharp and steady style of play, and completely broke away from the image that was criticized as a defensive style of play in the past.
The crowd was amazed by his outstanding performance, and cheers poured in, all agreeing that he would make it to the final and achieve a great result! Lin Dan has won two consecutive Olympic titles with his amazing bounce and spin power, while Lee Chong Wei is widely regarded as the world's greatest footballer.
In the face of these two top masters, Chen Long seemed to be a little powerless. He first lost to Lee Chong Wei in the semi-finals, unfortunately finishing as the runner-up, missing out on the gold medal. There was a bit of frustration on his face when the match ended, but the Chinese coaching staff and cheerleading team in the audience applauded him enthusiastically, because it was amazing for a fledgling young athlete to achieve such a great result in his first Olympic Games.
However, on the podium, Chen Long's eyes were gloomy, and he silently stared at the highest medal, his heart was magnificent. As a professional athlete, he certainly aspires to stand on the highest podium, but the huge gap between reality and ideals makes him feel extremely helpless.
During this time, Chen Long's most solid spiritual pillar was his relationship with his girlfriend Wang Shixian. Wang Shixian is also a member of the national team, and they share common dreams and pursuits. Whenever he loses in the arena and is tired from training, Chen Long always regains his strength with her love and support.
Although he failed to win the gold medal, Chen Long's outstanding performance at the London Olympics still attracted wide attention from all walks of life. Through this experience, he deeply realized the importance of never giving up in the face of adversity, and as long as he perseveres, he will definitely gain something. This perseverance and fighting spirit is the key factor in his repeated brilliant achievements in the future.
Four years have passed, and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics have finally witnessed his road to the championship. In the men's singles final of the Rio Olympics in August 2016, facing Malaysia's "ball king" Lee Chong Wei, this "battle of old enemies" attracted the warm attention of the global badminton world.
Before the race, most people predicted that the older Chen Long would be a stepping stone for Lee Chong Wei to reach the top, but the result of the race surprised everyone.
On the podium, when the staff wore the gold medal inlaid with the five-ring logo around his neck, Chen Long was so excited that tears could not be suppressed. At this moment, all the hard work, tempering and setbacks seemed to disappear, and his firm belief finally got the due reward.
Looking back on the preparation process after the game, Chen Long experienced countless difficulties, dangers and doubts. Many thought he was in the twilight of his career and would be a stepping stone for young athletes to climb to the top, but he proved that he wasn't. This tenacity and never-say-die quality is the key to the success of his career.
The year after winning the championship, Chen Long proposed affectionately to his girlfriend Wang Shixian, who had been with him for many years, and the two eventually became married. Wang Shixian was also an outstanding athlete selected for the national team in the same year, and was Chen Long's most solid spiritual pillar. Whenever he lost on the field and was tired from training, she was always by her side to take care of him and never give up.
Although their wedding was not extremely luxurious, but in that innocence it was full of harvest joy and blush! Chen Long knew that all the hard work and unremitting efforts in the past were for the sake of being full of success at this moment. Finally, he also ushered in his own sweetness and hard-won happiness.