Graphic / Entertainment I know
Editing/Entertaining I know
Preface
In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, diving, table tennis and other events were highly anticipated and were expected to win the championship early. However, the situation in women's basketball is different, and most people just want them to avoid being embarrassed. The women's basketball team has been in a slump for a long time, but this time it has given people new hope. From beating New Zealand to the Czech Republic, they won all the way.
Despite fighting hard in the final battle, the women's basketball team failed to finish in the top three and finished fourth. But throughout the game, captain Miao Lijie showed incredible energy and influence! As a defender, she is second only to the first place in scoring, with a gap of just 0.2 points. This game was not only a turning point for the Chinese women's basketball team, but also made Miao Lijie famous in one fell swoop. Today, let's walk into the story of Miao Lijie of the Chinese women's basketball team.
I almost missed basketball because of my height
Miao Lijie shared her inner experience in an interview. When she was a child, because her parents were busy making ends meet, she often lived with her brother or grandmother. Unlike other girls who wore braids and skirts, she had short hair and became the "king of kids" at that time.
In elementary school, her basketball talent was discovered by a coach and she entered the amateur sports school basketball team. However, when she was recommended to another basketball team, the coach politely turned her down because of her height, calling her "too short." It was a blow to her, but she ended up staying on the team thanks to her excellent technique.
However, height issues have always bothered her. Her father noticed her troubles and decided to help her grow taller by various means. Miao's father heard that eating pork ribs would help him grow taller, so he used all his salary to buy pork ribs. Every half a month, Miao Lijie comes home, and her father makes pork ribs and tofu for her, although the ribs are hers, and her father only eats tofu.
Maybe it was his father's efforts, or maybe it was natural growth, Miao Lijie finally grew to a height of 1.78 meters. After solving the height problem, her basketball career got off to a good start. At the age of 13, she entered the national youth team and at the age of 16 went straight to the national team. However, when entering the national team, the women's basketball team was at a low point.
Constantly win glory for the country and enter the international hall of fame
At that time, the Chinese women's basketball team faced a shortage of talent, because of the lack of experience of young players, and the powerful veterans chose to retire. All she was valued by the national team. However, her international career did not start well, and her first major tournament, the 1999 Women's Basketball Championship in Japan, ended in a dismal defeat.
This defeat directly led to the Chinese women's basketball team losing its qualification to participate in the 2000 Olympic Games, which caused widespread dissatisfaction and criticism at the time. Gong Luming took over the coaching of the women's basketball team at this time of crisis, and he was determined to rebuild the team and bring the Chinese women's basketball team back to the top again. He took a fancy to Miao Lijie's potential and began to train her rigorously.
For Miao Lijie, this period is painful, but it is also the happiest time to grow. His training paid off in the end. In the 2001 Asian Basketball Championship, Miao Lijie's outstanding performance as a guard helped the Chinese team win the championship. In the subsequent World Championships and Asian Games, the Chinese women's basketball team also achieved good results and won the championship again.
In 2004, the Chinese women's basketball team won the Asian Basketball Championship again, thus obtaining a ticket to the Olympic Games. However, in the subsequent Olympics, although the team failed to reach the quarterfinals, Miao Lijie's performance won the favor of foreign teams. Previously, Miao Lijie also joined the WCBA and became a well-known scoring champion.
She became the highest athlete of her time with her outstanding performance. In 2005, she left China to join the WNBA team in the United States, becoming the third Chinese player to play in the United States. In his short experience in the WNBA, although height is not dominant, Miao Lijie can contribute five points in just nine minutes per game. However, in order to prepare for the National Games, she finally chose to return to China.
In the years since, she has lived in training and playing, and her contribution is evident despite the team's modest title-winning titles. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, although the Chinese women's basketball team only finished sixth, Miao Lijie saved some honors for the team with the appearance of the assist king of the whole game.
Miao Lijie did not choose to retire at the age of 27, but continued to play for the country. In the third Olympic Games she participated in, although the Chinese women's basketball team still did not enter the top eight, she once again contributed a lot to the team as the assist king. Miao Lijie has left an indelible mark on the history of the Chinese women's basketball team.
Her contributions are so great that they have influenced the development of basketball throughout the era. Eventually, she chose to retire at the age of 33, but she did not stop contributing to the basketball career, becoming the coach of Shen and later serving as the coach of several teams. In 2023, she also obtained the status of a "member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference".
And on April 30, 2024, she entered the FIBA Hall of Fame, becoming the fourth Chinese basketball celebrity to be inducted after Yao Ming, Zheng Haixia and Mou Zuoyun. Miao Lijie's basketball career is not only the accumulation of personal honors, but also a symbol of his significant contribution to the cause of Chinese women's basketball.
At the age of 35, he married an officer and returned to the field after giving birth to a child
Miao Lijie, her life is full of passion and challenges in basketball. When she was 35 years old, she finally found a person she vowed to protect for the rest of her life - Hu Haitao. Hu Haitao is not an ordinary person, he was an officer at the time, and his height was the same as Miao Lijie, both of whom were 1.87 meters.
They had known each other as early as when Miao Lijie had not yet retired. Although one is in the national team and the other is in the army, they understand each other's work and share the responsibility of serving the country. On the outside, Miao Lijie seems to be like a boy, but deep down, she also has the delicacy of a girl.
And Hu Haitao just happened to be able to appreciate and see the tenderness in her heart. When she first started dating, Hu Haitao always cared about her whenever she was free and sent her messages. They come from different regions, one northerner and one southerner. Initially, Miao Lijie didn't have much hope for the future of the two.
She thinks that even if she gets married in the future, she may be separated from each other because of work, and it may be difficult to even eat at the same table. But Hu Haitao said without hesitation: "What you eat in the future, I will eat too!" So, the two began to fall in love. It wasn't until the second year of Miao Lijie's retirement that they held a wedding.
After marriage, Miao Lijie really realized that her choice was the right one. Hu Haitao is the one who can accompany her for the rest of her life. Soon after, she became pregnant and became a mother in 2017 after giving birth to their daughter. But just two months after giving birth to her daughter, the country called her and Chen Nan to compete in the National Games again. Miao Lijie did not hesitate to put down the child, let her husband take care of it, and devoted herself to training.
Although the final result was not ideal, Miao Lijie felt very satisfied to be able to stand on the field again. After the game, she transitioned into a coach, and sometimes when she was busy, her children were still dependent on their mother. Both husband and mother, they fully supported her career.
epilogue
This experience gave us a vision of a truly strong and independent woman. Miao Lijie is not only an outstanding athlete, but also a role model who has the courage to pursue his dreams and is not afraid of life's challenges. Her story teaches us that no matter what choices and difficulties we face, as long as we have a dream in our hearts, we can find balance and strength to move on.
Miao Lijie's life story is not only a part of Chinese basketball, but also a symbol of spirit. Her decisions have not only affected her own life, but also influenced and inspired countless people who have pursued their dreams. Whether as an athlete, a wife, or a mother, she shows true strength and charisma in her various roles in her unique way.