Thank you for your support by clicking "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!
In May 2023, at the 56th World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, South Africa, our Chinese women's table tennis team once again showed results that lived up to expectations with its impeccable performance!
The young and promising player Chen Meng joined hands with Wang Yidi, the leader of the team, and the two cooperated tacitly, fought together, and finally won the women's doubles championship.
In this moment of celebration, when Chen Meng took a precious group photo with his coach and teammates, this scene seemed to bring people back to that glorious era a few years ago.
Back then, in the team competition of the 2014 Tokyo World Table Tennis Championships, the Chinese women's team relied on its strong strength to overcome many opponents and successfully stood on the top podium.
At that time, the national players and coach Kong Linghui left this unforgettable group photo together after the game, which permanently captured this exciting moment.
In this photo, the five national players Li Xiaoxia, Ding Ning, Zhu Yuling, Liu Shiwen and Chen Meng are all smiling and radiant, while Kong Linghui is dancing and can't help but be happy, and the sincere joy jumps on the page.
However, time flies, and the five national players who once fought side by side have now embarked on different paths.
In addition to Chen Meng still sticking to the camp of the national team, what kind of lives do the four former heroines Li Xiaoxia, Ding Ning, Zhu Yuling and Liu Shiwen live now? Let us review their growth process together.
Li Xiaoxia has shown extraordinary talent since she was a child and has a strong interest in table tennis. Under the careful guidance of her coach, she has demonstrated an otherworldly comprehension and perseverance.
After unremitting efforts, Li Xiaoxia passed all the way and finally became a member of the national table tennis team.
In 2002, Li Xiaoxia, who was only 14 years old, won the women's singles championship at the national championships and rose to prominence. In 2006, she won the World Table Tennis Championships team championship with the Chinese team, shining on the world stage for the first time.
Although she failed to win gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Li Xiaoxia was not discouraged by this, but strengthened her faith, and four years later at the London Olympics, she finally realized her dream, winning two gold medals in women's singles and women's team, climbing to the pinnacle of her life.
Ding Ning was born in a sports family, and her parents' expectations have long been destined for her love for table tennis. Despite a late start and a rough ride, Ding rose to the challenge, and in 2009 she won her first career World Title, kicking off a years-long reign.
At the 2016 Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Chinese player Ding Ning won the gold medals in the women's singles and women's team events with unrivaled strength, and deservedly became the king of the ball! As the leader of the mainland table tennis team, Ding Ning is not only our pride, but also the king of the international table tennis arena.
Zhu Yuling, a Sichuan girl from the beautiful land of Bashu, has unparalleled enthusiasm for table tennis.
She showed amazing talent from a young age, and at the age of eight, she won the seventh place in the municipal competition, which undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for her future development.
Subsequently, Zhu Yuling successfully entered the Sichuan Provincial Team and began her table tennis road.
With unswerving perseverance and fighting spirit, under the careful guidance of professional coaches, Zhu Yuling's skills have become increasingly exquisite, and she has finally won the women's singles and women's doubles championships in the 2010 World Youth Championships, officially entering the door of the national team.
Although Zhu Yuling suffered injuries and troughs in the following games, she never gave up the persistent pursuit of her dreams.
Liu Shiwen, known as "Little Deng Yaping", was born with outstanding talent, and her playing style is exactly the same as that of the table tennis legend Deng Yaping. Her mother's patient companionship and support became the most powerful source of motivation for her growth.
At the age of 13, Liu Shiwen was successfully selected for the national second team, and it took only one year to become one of the national first team, fully demonstrating her otherworldly strength.
On a higher competitive stage, Liu Shiwen has repeatedly achieved great results, winning the World Cup five times in a row, becoming a well-deserved five-time champion, and winning the championship honor of the 2014 World Table Tennis Championships team competition for the motherland.
The above four outstanding athletes, their proud achievements in their respective fields, all demonstrate their tenacious quality of hard work and self-improvement, and jointly help China's table tennis industry to maintain its leading position in the world.
However, those glorious years seem to be gradually fading away. The 37-year-old Li Xiaoxia has said goodbye to her status as an athlete and has taken up the position of professor at Shenyang University, passing on the valuable experience she has accumulated over the years to the younger generation and contributing to the cultivation of a new generation of sports talents.
also chose a new life path, as well as Ding Ning. The 33-year-old former national athlete officially ended his 26-year career in 2021 and announced his retirement.
At this moment, she has become an honors student at Peking University through her unremitting efforts, and is now studying for a master's degree at this prestigious institution of higher learning, and is teaching table tennis courses with great excellence.
In particular, it is worth mentioning that Ding Ning was re-elected as a representative at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and this new position and responsibility gave her a broader vision.
Now 35 years old, after many setbacks in her career, Zhu Yuling chose to continue her studies, successfully obtained a doctorate in management, and has officially joined Tianjin University as an associate professor of teaching.
From the young boy who closely followed his mentor Shi Zhihao back then, to the mature woman who is now a teacher and a family business executive, Zhu Yuling has always adhered to the promise of "not forgetting her original intention" and interpreted the value of life in her own unique way.
Liu Shiwen, who was once known as "Little Deng Yaping", is now 35 years old. Although she has been plagued by her Grand Slam dream in recent years, she has still become a legend in the table tennis world with her firm belief and unremitting efforts.
At present, Liu Shiwen is actively engaged in the work of the International Table Tennis Federation, serving as the chairman of the Athletes' Commission, and running around to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of professional athletes around the world.
Time flies, and those once high-spirited and radiant national players have gradually faded out of people's sight and left the stage of the green field. However, the passion and dreams they forged with youth and sweat are forever engraved in our hearts and are admirable.
When we recall the precious group photo that freezes the glorious moment, it seems that we can still clearly see the magnificent picture of the five golden flowers working together side by side under the careful guidance of Kong Linghui, and finally won the championship in the 2014 World Table Tennis Championships team competition.
At that time, the camera captured their laughter and tears, Kong Linghui opened his arms, full of enthusiasm, and the five national players were young and beautiful, and the joy and pride from the heart were the best testimony of their hard work in their youth.
As a coach, Kong Linghui knows every player well, and the deep relationship between them has long gone beyond the ordinary teacher-student friendship, and is more like a family member.
He was once overwhelmed by Li Xiaoxia's tenacity and courage of "never say die", and he also spurred Ding Ning to work hard in the arena with strict and precise requirements.
He was full of praise for Zhu Yuling's unique hitting skills, and also had high hopes for Liu Shiwen, a new generation player known as "Little Deng Yaping".
It is under the careful guidance of Kong Linghui, a mentor and friend, that the performance of China's Five Golden Flowers in international competitions has attracted much attention. They have worked tirelessly on the stage of international competitions with firm steps, and have won countless honorable and outstanding achievements for the motherland.
Nowadays, those five golden flowers that used to work together to create brilliance have gradually moved away from our sight. Some have chosen new and challenging career paths, while others remain at the forefront of their athletic careers.
Whoever they are, their glory has been reduced to eternal memory and imprinted in the hearts of each of us.
Li Xiaoxia relied on extraordinary perseverance and amazing fighting spirit, and after countless tempering, she finally climbed to the top of her life. Although she has now left the field, she is still contributing to the cause of table tennis in her own unique way, passing on valuable experience to the younger generation and cultivating more outstanding athletes.
Ding Ning was born in a sports family and has an innate love for table tennis. With her tenacity and willpower, she overcame obstacles along the way and eventually became an extraordinary legend.
After retiring, Ding Ning did not let go of his love for table tennis, but continued to pay attention to and promote the development of the sport with a new role and perspective.
Zhu Yuling is a hot-blooded woman from Sichuan, who has written a glorious chapter in her life with her tenacious struggle. Despite injuries and setbacks, she never gave up on her dreams.
After retiring, Zhu Yuling first studied for a doctorate, and now has devoted herself to education, wearing many hats but never forgetting her original intention.
Liu Shiwen became famous at a young age and is talented, and she deserves to be known as "Little Deng Yaping". Since the age of 13, he has stepped onto the international stage and has been soaring, winning an unprecedented five consecutive World Cups and becoming a five-time champion.
Although Liu Shiwen failed to achieve the Grand Slam feat as she wished, she has now become a legend in the world of table tennis! At present, she is playing for the International Table Tennis Federation, wholeheartedly defending the legitimate rights and interests of players around the world, and her love for table tennis has always remained the same, as sincere as her first love.
Although the five teammates who fought side by side in the past have swayed their youth on different stages of life, they have all written their own glorious chapters in their own ways, and this love and dedication to sports are like bright stars, which will never be erased.
As the old saying goes, "the iron battalion is the soldier of the flowing water", although the career of an athlete is short, as long as he has paid hard sweat and unremitting efforts, this time will be remembered by history and become an eternal memory in people's hearts.