Miao Lijie tried his best in the game.
Miao Lijie's name can be preceded by many titles: Asian Games Champion, Asian Championship Champion, WCBA Champion and WNBA Champion.
However, in her nearly 20 years of basketball career, the title of National Games champion has always been blank.
Tianjin is miao Lijie's last battlefield for this fight.
In the women's basketball final of the National Games on the evening of September 6, Miao Lijie and Chen Nan, the "second oldest man of Xuan Di", were still unable to change the fate of the PLA women's basketball team that suffered a reversal, and finally lost to the Guangdong women's basketball team 80-86.
In the crucial final four minutes of the game, Miao Lijie, 36, and Chen Nan, 34, sat on the bench all they could do but shout loudly to their young teammates on the field.
This may be the last picture left to the fans by the "Second Elder of the Dark Spirit" as a player.
Against Guangdong, Miao Lijie's last game in life.
"Ability is not good, the spirit of not accepting defeat is still there"
"There are no regrets in life, because we have fought for this game." Standing on the podium of the runner-up, Miao Lijie laughed most of the time, until she heard Chen Nan's heartfelt words to her, and she choked up with tears.
When Miao Lijie and Chen Nan led a group of young girls next to them to fight on the field of the National Games, these two "mother-level" veterans were destined to become the focus of the court.
After each game, there are always reporters chasing them to have a chat.
"They also interviewed me, and just now they asked me how I achieved a stable performance of 2 points per game." Miao Lijie has always spoken very bluntly, in this National Games, she always likes to laugh at herself for not making much contribution to the team on the field, "Now the ability is not good, but the spirit of not accepting defeat is still there." ”
Indeed, except for their starters in the final, most of the time, the two of them played the role of substitute players. Playing for about ten minutes, scoring two or three points, giving one or two assists, and then grabbing a few rebounds is the "normal performance" of Miao Lijie and Chen Nan on the court now.
The women's basketball game at the Tianjin National Games is actually the first time that Miao Lijie and Chen Nan have played side by side outside the national team.
5 years ago, they wore national team jerseys to lead young players to the international arena, and their invincibility on the court was called "the second oldest man". Nowadays, the "Two Elders of the Underworld" have joined forces again, but their role is more on the spiritual level.
"Sister Miao and Brother Nan (Chen Nan) are now our spiritual leaders, and with them, all teammates are at ease." Sun Mengran, the main force of the People's Liberation Army women's basketball team, said, "This kind of steadfastness is not only reflected on the court, but also under the court." ”
Miao Lijie and Chen Nan.
The identity of the "Second Elder of Xuan Di" at the National Games this time was not so simple as that of an athlete. In the team, they also have to assume the responsibility of assistant coaches and become the "right and left arm" of coach Ma Yuenan.
"In the team, Miao and Chen mainly play a role in passing and helping." Coach Ma Yuenan accidentally injured his Achilles tendon during the pre-game coaching training, and it was Chen Nan who pushed him back and forth between the field and the locker room, "I found Miao Miao and Chen Nan, and I also hope that they will have a good ending at the National Games." ”
Unfortunately, in competitive sports, the distance between ideal and reality may not be able to make up for it with all efforts.
At the award ceremony, the team originally planned to hold a tribute ceremony for the "Second Elder of the Dark Spirit" after winning the championship, but it was cancelled because of the final defeat.
However, another small episode is playful, when Yao Ming presented the award to the People's Liberation Army women's basketball team, he deliberately "skipped" Miao Lijie and finally hung a medal for her.
"Because I'm the oldest", Yao Ming and Miao Lijie both laughed during the conversation.
When Yao Ming presented the award to the People's Liberation Army women's basketball team, he deliberately "skipped" Miao Lijie and finally hung a medal for her.
It is the responsibility of the soldier to leave the young son and return to the field
Compared with Chen Nan in "The Second Elder of Xuan Di", Miao Lijie may be more or less outward in front of the media camera, so on the field, and the same is true on the field.
This time in Tianjin, Miao Lijie's story has also been mentioned more by the media.
Family life, daughter under one year old, and their own future... This is a topic that Miao Lijie can't jump out of. Usually, she answers the questions fluently, only when she was asked for the first time, "When was the last official game?" she spent a lot of time thinking.
"I can't really remember when the last time I played an official match." Miao Lijie thought for a while before replying again, "It should be the league in the 2013 season, almost three or four years have not played." ”
After retiring from the professional league more than three years ago, Miao Lijie has already shifted his focus to family life. 10 months ago, her daughter was just born, if it were not for the call-up of her mentor Ma Yuenan, Miao Lijie might just be watching the Women's Basketball Games at home now.
"As a soldier, I feel like I'm a special person. Soldiers pay attention to style, and then they have to obey orders. ”
It is this sense of responsibility and mission of the military that prompted Miao Lijie to start recovery training with the physical training coach two months after giving birth.
Miao Lijie recalled that in the early summer season in June and July, she had to train eight to nine times a week, "at the beginning, after practicing, she would be a little unable to see things, and she would feel that people's eyes were pulling down, and she would feel nauseous, and that kind of limit was something that ordinary people would not be able to understand." ”
From 170 pounds in waiting for delivery to 136 pounds now, Miao Lijie only took a few months, and when others were marveling at how she could be so cruel to herself, she just smiled, "I don't know how to practice to this extent." ”
However, Miao Lijie still couldn't let go of a sense of guilt and concern in his heart.
"In fact, at the beginning, I didn't want to come back, because the mentality was different, and now, a lot of ideas are in the child, and the child is weaned at a very young age."
"But the mission is here, the troops asked me to come back, and I have an obligation."
In fact, Chen Nan's state is the same, but her son is two years old, and she can more or less not worry so much.
Originally, after the final of the National Games, Chen Nan was still looking forward to her child going to Tianjin to share the joy of winning the championship with her, but in the end, she regretted that she could not stand on the championship podium.
"It was our last game and it was a shame that we didn't expect it to end like this."
Chen Nan's young son and husband also came to the scene to cheer.
Regrets, made up for coming back in the coach's position
The regrets in the mouths of Chen Nan and Miao Lijie may not have the opportunity to make up for them when they are players.
Before the National Games, they had already made it clear that this was the curtain call of the "Second Elder of the Dark Spirit", and they would no longer appear in the game as players.
"Our 'Second Elder of The Dark Underworld' is also a strange thing, and I hope that there will be no more such strange things in the future, because this is not a good thing for Chinese basketball." Miao Lijie joked with reporters who knew him well.
At the press conference after the final, Ma Yuenan, the coach of the People's Liberation Army women's basketball team, did not bring Miao Lijie and Chen Nan to the press conference as everyone expected, but chose Sun Mengran to replace Chen Nan, according to the meaning of Coach Ma Yuenan, "The Second Elder of Xuan Meditation" is going to pass after all, and the two he brought represent a kind of inheritance.
"Competitive sports are so cruel, you have the ability you are the king, without the ability you can only accept the reality." 」 Miao Lijie said after the game.
"In fact, it is a miracle that I can stand on the court myself, regrets are definitely there, what I have to do is to make up for this regret, and the next National Games will take back what I lost as a coach."
Coach, is Miao Lijie's next journey.
"A lot of the players now don't love basketball as much as we did back then, but there are some players who have this mentality, but the skills are still lacking."
During this National Games, Miao Lijie has been sharing her thoughts on the future of the Chinese women's basketball team, "When I was a coach, I hoped that the players must have characteristics, and in all aspects should work towards this aspect. ”
After the press conference, Coach Ma Yuenan deliberately returned to the press room and solemnly said to the reporters, "I have taken them to play since I was very young, and now I am calling them back again, just to realize their dreams." So regardless of the outcome, I would like to express my gratitude to Miao Lijie and Chen Nan. ”
Chinese basketball also thanks the "second elder of The Dark Spirit" for his efforts.