1. An in-depth background introduction to the Iron Lady
The hand of time goes back to July 30, 1963, when a baby was born in an ordinary but hard-working working family in Jiangsu Province. This newborn life is the "Iron Lady" who will be forever remembered by generations in the future - Zhou Jihong.
Surprisingly, neither her relatives nor those who are familiar with her could have predicted that on the day of her birth, this cute little guy would become a bright star in Chinese badminton with his outstanding performance in the years to come.
Although Zhou Jihong was born into a modest family, she showed extraordinary perseverance and a passion for badminton from an early age. Her academic performance has always maintained an excellent level, and she is deeply loved by teachers and classmates, and has won the honorary title of outstanding student cadre many times.
However, unlike other children her age, she never hesitated to leave the classroom and head straight to the school court whenever the school bell rang to begin her daily three-hour hard training.
At a young age, she knows that only through hard work can she achieve remarkable achievements in the field of badminton. Although her body gradually became thin and thin as she trained day after day, this did not shake her persistent pursuit of her dreams.
Instead, every time she falls or gets injured, her love for the sport grows stronger.
In 1982, a seemingly ordinary encounter completely changed the trajectory of Zhou Jihong's life. At that time, Tian Bingyi had just returned from the National Games and was inspecting the training ground of the national team.
A tall, athletic girl was sweating on the court, amazed by her physical strength and superb skills.
When he learned that this girl was the new national player Zhou Jihong, Tian Bingyi became interested in her. As a veteran coach, he quickly saw what was unique about this young girl.
His vigorous posture, tenacious will, and tenacious determination all moved him.
Therefore, Tian Bingyi decided to do his best to nurture this promising rookie and shape her into a future sports superstar. Although there are certain differences in the personalities of the two of them, he firmly believes that he can use his prestige and rich experience to bridge all barriers and establish a harmonious teacher-student relationship between them.
Since then, Zhou Jihong has officially embarked on the road to the top. No matter what the obstacles lie ahead, at least she has a trusted mentor to work with her.
Second, the glorious history of their careers
In the field of badminton, Tian Bingyi can be called a mentor-like existence, and with his deep experience and unique vision, he has tapped Zhou Jihong's huge potential. Her perseverance and otherworldly talent have led to her rapid development and rapid emergence as a core of the national team.
In 1986, Tian Bingyi served as the head coach of the national team for the first time. As a former top player, he has a deep and unique understanding of the sport. His style of action is rigorous and pragmatic, and he takes his work seriously and responsibly, so in the process of coaching, he strives for perfection in every link, and is both strict and full of expectations for the players.
It is precisely because of this almost demanding high standard that the Chinese team has won many good results under his leadership. Whether it is the World Championships, Thomas Cup or Uber Cup, the Chinese team has won the championship trophy again and again, and has won numerous honors on the international stage.
As a team member, Zhou Jihong is undoubtedly Tian Bingyi's most effective assistant. Her spirit of daring to fight hard and never giving up is admirable. On the field, she showed extraordinary on-the-spot adaptability, often able to turn the tide at critical moments, and made great achievements for the Chinese team.
Once upon a time, at the critical moment of the World Championships finals, the Chinese team fell behind by a large score, and Zhou Jihong won seven games in a row with his personal strength, and finally helped the Chinese team achieve a shocking reversal and successfully won the championship.
After the game, her eyes were like torches, her forehead was covered with sweat, and her determined expression deeply touched every audience present.
It is precisely because of the perseverance of a player like Zhou Jihong and Tian Bingyi's excellent tactical command that the Chinese team was able to write a brilliant chapter in the field of badminton. The tacit understanding between the two on the court is extremely high, like a pair made in heaven.
However, the seeds of contradiction have long been quietly planted.
Although on the pitch, their coordination is flawless, but in private, the contradictions between them are gradually increasing. In fact, as early as the first acquaintance, Tian Bingyi had a certain prejudice against Zhou Jihong.
Although this young girl is very talented, she is overconfident and even a little conceited, and has a withdrawn personality. She is full of energy on the court, but in her daily life, she seems lonely and arrogant, keeping her distance from others.
As an elderly mentor and friend, Tian Bingyi is full of enthusiasm, open-mindedness, and shows excellent affinity, which forms a strong contrast with Zhou Jihong's unique personality traits. He had hoped to build a strong teacher-student bond with this wonderful player, but unfortunately there was always an unspeakable gap between them.
These differences in early career seem to have laid the groundwork for the breakdown of future relationships. Even in the tacit cooperation on the field, it is still like glue, but in the private sphere, the window paper is becoming thinner and more fragile, and it is difficult to hide.
As the years passed, the contradictions between the two gradually surfaced. As an outstanding athlete, Zhou Jihong's pursuit of career is almost obsessive. As a mentor, Tian Bingyi shows more modesty and stability, and attaches importance to overall consideration and overall interests.
During the training process, Zhou Jihong always devoted himself to it, and did not pay enough attention to other aspects of daily life. She is mired in endless grind all day long, showing instinctive resistance to concepts such as rest and entertainment.
However, as an experienced senior, Tian Bingyi knows that this genius needs to relax moderately, learn how to find a work-life balance, and pursue a more colorful life experience.
However, this disagreement did not provoke a violent conflict between the two, and everything remained on an invisible barrier. But it indicates that if there is a spark, the contradiction will spread rapidly, and the day of the levee will burst.
Fourth, the fuse of the rupture and its process
For the sport of badminton, Zhou Jihong can be described as a person who is persistent to the extreme. She was immersed in arduous training all day long, and seemed detached and indifferent to other aspects of life, lacking deep experience and taste.
On the training pitch, she sweats and is full of energy, and once she leaves the field, she returns to a taciturn state, as if isolated from the world.
In contrast, although Tian Bingyi is also a professional coach, what he pursues is the harmonious coexistence of work and life. In his eyes, being overly paranoid about one's career and ignoring the joys of life will eventually lead to a monotonous and boring path in life.
Therefore, he always eagerly hopes that his disciple Zhou Jihong can relax a little, learn to enjoy life to the fullest after training, and pursue a higher quality of life experience.
However, Zhou Jihong has a deep misunderstanding of this. In her eyes, the coach's words seemed to imply a deep jealousy, questioning her excellence and extraordinary ability. Tian Bingyi has been accused of deliberately belittling her in an attempt to stifle her further climb in her career.
In the face of such a misinterpretation, Tian Bingyi's heart was extremely bitter. As a generation of famous marshals, his expectations for this gifted disciple are sincere, expecting her to aim high and sweep the road ahead, rather than being satisfied with the current heights.
However, it is a pity that Zhou Jihong always stubbornly adheres to the wrong viewpoint and stubbornly interprets Tian Bingyi's kindness as malice.
As a result, an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and estrangement gradually spread among masters and apprentices. Zhou Jihong was on strict guard against Tian Bingyi, and Tian Bingyi couldn't hide his disappointment and anger at this disciple.
This atmosphere continued until 1992, which eventually led to the breakdown of the relationship.
That year, Tian Bingyi hinted that they might separate. He expressed his thoughts on the grounds that he had decided to retire from his coaching position and only serve as a regular coach.
Zhou Jihong is at the peak of his career and needs a more senior coach to lead.
This remark undoubtedly provoked a strong backlash from Zhou Jihong. She firmly believes that the coach's arrangement is nothing more than an insidious means to alienate her and hinder her career development.
She was convinced that the coach made such a decision because he was jealous of her talent and feared that she would surpass herself, so he wanted to break her wings with his own hands.
Since then, Zhou Jihong has closed his heart to Tian Bingyi, and the contradiction between the two has reached an unprecedented trough. All possibilities of rational communication were denied, and their fate went step by step to the abyss of no return.
5. Independent life after separation
In 1996, after an important match, the two officially announced their breakup and started a new chapter in their lives. Tian Bingyi resigned as head coach of the national team and began to tour the country, passing on his decades of experience and experience to the younger generation.
For Tian Bingyi, leaving the stage of the national team does not mean leaving the career he loves. On the contrary, he sees it as the beginning of a new journey in life and the beginning of endless challenges.
In the prime of life and into the twilight of his life, this experienced coach is still on the move, passing on the art without reservation.
When asked why he was so selfless, he always smiled indifferently: "I am just a determined coach, and it is my greatest wish in this life to pass on my skills to the younger generations, and my life and career have long been integrated in my heart."
Tian Bingyi is such an unyielding warrior, although the years have left traces on him, but his enthusiasm has never diminished in the slightest, in his opinion, education and training talents is a sacred mission, need to devote a lifetime to accomplish It is because of this, he has won the admiration and respect of many young athletes.
However, in stark contrast to Tian Bingyi, Zhou Jihong's life after retirement seemed dull and boring. Originally, as a senior of the national players, she could have continued to stay in the field of badminton, serving as a coach and teaching the younger generations.
Surprisingly, however, she ended up retiring to her family, living on a meager pension.
What was the reason for her to make such a decision? Perhaps it was because of her stubborn character, or because she was obsessed with her past dispute with Tian Bingyi, and she was never able to let go of the mustard in her heart.
However, under the persuasion of the Badminton Association, she finally returned to work and began to take on the task of training young coaches.
However, compared with the past, the once unruly "Iron Lady" is now more reticent, as if she has lost her vitality and passion. She is only focused on teaching her skills, and is no longer keen on in-depth discussions.
Whenever she saw her disciples struggling on the field, there would always be a trace of helplessness and sadness in her eyes.
Perhaps, for this athlete who has set a brilliant record, his life after retirement is destined to encounter many difficulties and confusion. However, she finally bravely stepped out of the shadows and regained her high morale and ideal pursuit in her own unique way.
6. Tian Bingyi's overall evaluation of the Iron Lady
Although there have been many contradictions and conflicts with Zhou Jihong, Tian Bingyi still gave high praise and praise to this former disciple.
As a generation of grandmasters, he was naturally able to perceive the obvious flaws and deficiencies on Zhou Jihong's body. His overly conservative, eccentric, and occasionally rebellious trait worried him.
More crucially, however, he also discovered the exceptional qualities of this girl.
"Zhou Jihong - you are definitely a person who does not want to turn back when you enter a dead end!" Tian Bingyi sighed sincerely, "For your career, you have an almost obsessive focus and determination. This kind of spirit of unremitting struggle and never say die is really difficult for others to match.
It is precisely because of this perseverance and perseverance that Zhou Jihong was able to overcome obstacles all the way, and finally became a legendary story in the Chinese badminton world. In her youth, this dedication was vividly displayed and forged her extraordinary career.
"On the field, she's always full of energy and a role model of never giving up. That determination to fight to the end is awe-inspiring, and she is undoubtedly the best of our generation.
Tian Bingyi praised from the bottom of his heart.
Although the two of them will inevitably have some disagreements in their private lives, Tian Bingyi always firmly believes that the difference between him and Zhou Jihong is more of a "master's road". She chooses a lonely but courageous path, while she tends to move forward steadily and steadily, and there is no superiority or inferiority.
"I appreciate her enterprising spirit, which is what I lack as a coach. And she may think I'm too conformist and cautious, but that's just a different path for each of us.
It is true that there are some differences between the master and the apprentice, but these cannot hide their respective shining points. Tian Bingyi finally expressed his admiration for this former disciple with a sincere attitude, and interpreted the glorious image of the "Iron Lady" in his unique way.