Tonight Beijing time, the Tokyo Olympic Table Tennis Mixed Doubles Final was played at the Tokyo Gymnasium, and the two sides were two pairs that had been waiting for a long time before the game - Xu Xin/Liu Shiwen of the number one mixed doubles Chinese team at the tournament, and Japanese player Hayabusa Mizutani/Ito Mishimaso, the host of the second seed of the mixed doubles.
This is the first table tennis gold medal produced by this Olympic Games, and it is also the first mixed doubles gold medal in the history of the Olympic Games, and its historical significance is naturally self-evident. Xu Xin, 31, and Liu Shiwen, 30, have a big mission. However, under the advantage of the opening two consecutive sets, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen encountered stubborn resistance from their opponents, and finally lost to the opponent 3-4, regretting the silver. This is also the first medal won by the Chinese table tennis team at the Olympic Games.
"Xinwen Simulcast" has a beginning
In this Olympic Games, mixed doubles was listed as an official event for the first time in history, and as early as the first World Table Tennis Championships in 1926, mixed doubles became one of the six official competitions before women's doubles, and women's doubles were added to the second World Table Tennis Championships in 1928. Xu Xin / Liu Shiwen is the mixed doubles champion of the 2019 Budapest World Table Tennis Championships and the 19.5th mixed doubles world champion in the history of national table tennis, and the national table tennis has entrusted them with the task of competing for the first gold in the Olympic mixed doubles, which is the best choice that can be made at this stage.
The selection of Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen as the first gold medals for the Olympic mixed doubles was a decision made by the Chinese Table Tennis Association at the end of 2018. At that time, the Chinese Table Tennis Association had a new look, officially entered the rhythm of preparing for the Tokyo Olympic Games, and deliberately selected xu Xin and Liu Shiwen, the two most capable doubles players and the most experienced in the competition, to serve as the core of the mixed doubles. Xu Xin's career has been inextricably linked to mixed doubles from the beginning to the present; it is also an honor for Liu Shiwen to receive the heavy responsibility of competing for the first gold in the Olympic mixed doubles at the end of her career.
Why the "Xinwen Simulcast" combination can be invincible is very much related to Xu Xin's playing style. Xu Xin is a straight board playing style, but also a left-handed player, the most commonly used doubles configuration in the national table tennis competition is "left and right matching", the left hand will be outstanding ability is easy to be trained by the team to doubles experts.
Xu Xin/Liu Shiwen, who began to compete in the Table Tennis League Tour from the end of 2018 and was hailed by the majority of fans as the "Xinwen Combination", immediately won the Swedish Open, the Hungarian Open and the next year's Qatar Open three mixed doubles championships. After winning the World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest, the duo defeated South Korea's post-00s cho Dae-sung/Shin Yu-bin 3-0 in the ITTF Finals at the end of that year. According to the regulations of the International Table Tennis Federation, the top four mixed doubles in the finals won tickets for the Tokyo Olympic Games, and Xu Xin/Liu Shiwen officially "entered the Olympic Games".
It is no exaggeration to use "gradually into a better situation" and "playing hi all" to use "gradually getting better" and "playing hi all" to describe the state of the combination of The Chinese and Japanese teams since the start of the Olympic Games. Looking forward to tonight's mixed doubles final, as Xu Xin said, who can put down the burden and give it a go, who will easily take the lead. Since the Japanese women's team won the silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Japanese table tennis has gradually returned to the center of the world table tennis, and their ambition to challenge the supremacy of the national table tennis world is clear. The main theme of the table tennis competition at the Tokyo Olympics is the dispute between China and Japan, so whether Xu Xin/Liu Shiwen can play the first crucial peak battle is very critical.
In today's game, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen were domineering and had a smooth start. However, Japan's rivals should not be underestimated. In the third set, the two sides scored equal several times, and in the end, the Chinese duo lost an inning due to too many mistakes. The same was true for the next two innings. The two sides of the game fell into anxiety, the scene supervision, in the stands, Liu Guoliang is also shouting Xinwen combination to take the initiative, to this Xu Xin also said that some rounds will passively lose points, so we must take the initiative to let go of the fight, so as to find their own rhythm and suppress the opponent. Xu Xin clearly said: "The first gold medal of the Olympic mixed doubles is placed there, who dares to fight, who takes it, no combination is the champion, who puts down the burden, it is superior in mentality." "In the most critical sixth set, the Chinese team counterattacked strongly. Several nagatai confrontations were eventually won. 3-3, the match dragged into the key round.
Unfortunately, in the last set, the Chinese combination did not maintain the momentum of the previous set. In the opponent's deliberate delaying tactics, the opponent leads by 4 goals at the beginning. In the end, he lost.
Spectators from the rear have ups and downs
Tonight's multi-functional hall on the seventh floor of shanghai red doubles building was specially arranged as a joyous Olympic rear viewing field, and everyone came to cheer for Shanghai player Xu Xin who competed in the table tennis mixed doubles final. Xu Yinsheng, honorary life president of the International Table Tennis Federation, came, Cao Yanhua, a famous table tennis player, came, Olympic champion Wang Liqin came, and even Xu Xin's parents came from their hometown Xuzhou on purpose...
Most of the guests at the scene were dressed in red cheering suits, and everyone watched the big screen with confidence, waiting for the moment when Xu Xin won the championship to come early.
After the game began, there were bursts of applause from time to time, especially when the Chinese combination scored 4 points in a row and Xu Xin scored a beautiful side-by-side cable-stayed score in the 4th point. When the Chinese duo won two consecutive sets to lead, the scene also sounded the smiling whispers of the guests, Wang Liqin easily and Cao Yanhua next to him whispered Xu Xin's performance, but the latter as the discovery of Xu Xin's Bole, seemed a little nervous. When the Chinese combination was about to get the innings in the third set, the excited Cao Yanhua and Xu Xin's mother got up and went outside to calm their mood.
When the big score became 3-3, someone at the scene shouted: "Xu Xin! The others immediately responded, "Come on! ”
In the crucial seventh inning, the Chinese combination fell behind 0-8, and the scene fell silent. Unfortunately, the miracle did not happen, the Chinese combination eventually lost the game, and everyone felt sorry for Xu Xin.
Xu Yinsheng, honorary life president of the INTERNATIONAL Table Tennis Federation
Xu Yinsheng told reporters after the game that the Japanese host also hoped to open the game by putting the game in the first event. They have favorable conditions in themselves, "but this is all very normal play, I think everyone is playing well, but the fifth lesson seems that it should not be like this, some of the balls are difficult to say." 」 "Losing the crucial fifth inning, the Chinese duo fell into passivity.
Elder Xu also said that in the Olympic Games table tennis competition can win China, which is also an encouragement to Japan, "Originally, this can not be a country for a long time, it turned out that they were also the hegemons of table tennis, we won later, now they can win, will definitely boost morale in the game below, but we will not be discouraged, the victory or defeat is still normal." ”
"Everyone generally wants to start well, the more smooth the play, but to be a good sports team, athletes are to prepare for difficulties." Even if you win today, if you win, you will encounter many difficulties, find ways to overcome difficulties, and always want to play downwind and can't improve. It doesn't matter if you lose, but you can't be discouraged, not to mention that we still have a lot of favorable conditions, our results have been good, occasionally losing a game like it doesn't matter, the majority of the audience will not be discouraged, definitely cheer them up, I hope they will be able to play well. ”
Black technology
Today's Xu Xin is no longer the enthusiastic youth he was, but he has become more calm and sophisticated. The happiness of marriage and the growth of children also made him realize that he had more responsibilities on his shoulders.
From the "Three Musketeers" to the "Dragon Fat Python", Xu Xin has always been the strongest complement, as a veteran who inherits the upper and lower levels, and plays the role of leading the new with the old. He is a workhorse, but he is willing to be a green leaf, playing a special role in team and doubles events. How can you still cross the Olympic arena in the year of your establishment? This is inseparable from the scientific support of Shanghai and the national table tennis team.
After Xu Xin's game, the "family" of the Shanghai table tennis team also revealed a lot of Xu Xin's little secrets.
Tong Benjun, the leader of the Shanghai table tennis team, told reporters that after the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games, Xu Xin's psychology also had a collapse process. But "he never thought about retiring." "He has had injuries to his shoulders, waist and knees in recent years, and now that his shoulders have recovered, the injury control of his entire body is OK."
Tong Benjun sighed that Xu Xin's energy and physical strength may not recover as quickly as that of the young general, so it is easy to produce this fatigue in the end, and then further may induce injuries, and therefore, the team treats Xu Xin's body as carefully as protecting giant pandas.
It is worth mentioning that when giving Xu Xin recovery treatment, the national team therapists will also use some black technology. Huang Meng, a team doctor of the Shanghai table tennis team, revealed that when xu Xin did some rehabilitation exercises, he would achieve a more stimulating and effective effect through instrument assistance, "which is an electrical stimulation of muscles." For example, when doing an action, he does not feel a strong sense of force, and then puts the electrode piece on the muscle, and some electrical stimulation will produce a stronger muscle mass on him. Train better. It is reported that similar to such a small device, Xu Xin has almost all links on his body, and the knee part is especially strengthened. All high-tech devices are also connected via wireless Bluetooth, which can be monitored at any time.
In addition, Tong Benjun also revealed that in the national table tennis team, there are also psychological special classes. "All the athletes who participate in the Olympic Games are definitely going all out to fight. While the competition focuses on technology, psychology is also very important. It is reported that in daily training, Liu Guoliang will let the players practice playing the last few balls, such as 9:9, 10:10, etc., "He will watch your movements when you are glued in this score, sometimes reflect the psychology, maybe touch the nose He will immediately know that you are nervous, and the psychological part still needs attention." Just like Xu Xin lost to Mizutani Hayabusa in the team final of the 2016 Rio Olympics, when the team watched the video, it felt that his state was not quite right, "Becoming inactive on the field will dangle around." ”
In today's game, Xu Xin's eyes were always resolute, one ball after another, and the teammates and coaches who were familiar with him knew, "The python is stable." ”
"Should blow and think stop" has heat
For Xu Xin, fans have a variety of titles: Python, Xin ye, People's Artist, blind players, from these love names, it is not difficult to see that fans have ardent hope and love for Xu Xin. It is a miracle in itself that the only remaining straight board players can be ravaged by the horizontal board players today, ignoring the backhand gap and ranking among the super first-class players.
Xu Xin on the court, known as the "Ronin", often surprised the opponent with his skillful riot operation, which not only surprised the opponent, but also surprised the audience. Xu Xin's straight board has a strong offensive power, even the far platform also has the strength of super pulling, and his serve is changeable, the ball control is delicate, those back shots, far platform attacks, flying body hits, 42 boards super long pull, all show his ability to interpret table tennis far beyond ordinary people. In tonight's mixed doubles match, Xu Xin also repeatedly hit a stunning super long pair of pulls, which was amazing. The flowing style of the ball and the "god-like" feel allow Xu Xin to always play wonderful balls, and the majority of fans gave him the title of "artist", Liu Guoliang once praised his disciples: Xu Xin's ball is played well, and the whole world loves to watch.
It is worth mentioning that due to the special background of this year's Olympic Games, table tennis competitions also have a "strange" rule, that is, athletes are not allowed to blow the ball during the game, as well as habitually touch the table.
You know, these two small actions have always been the "routine operation" of Chinese athletes, although it is not a small skill, it is purely a habit accumulated from perennial training, and as a result, this time on the Olympic stage, in addition to focusing on playing and scoring, avoiding blowing the ball and touching the table has also become a major problem for national table tennis players.
In the mixed doubles semi-finals that ended earlier, Xu Xin almost blew the ball in an official game, and the reason why it was a foul was because once the referee caught the action, he might show a yellow card warning to the athlete. At that time, before Xu Xin served, he was preparing to habitually blow a breath on the table tennis, and as a result, fortunately, the "python" reacted quickly enough, stopped in time, and then turned his head to the other side, holding this breath back hard, and many netizens joked: "Xu Xin are you a comedian?" ”
Strict self-discipline shows Xu Xin's excellence. Deliberately avoiding such a foul action is also a manifestation of strength.
Super Daddy has guilt
Tong Benjun revealed that after the end of the 16 Rio Olympic Games, Xu Xin has been in the national team, becoming more and more mature in terms of technology and tactics, but the guilt towards his family has also deepened.
Xu Xin and his wife Yao Yan can be described as a pair of immortals in the table tennis industry, in the 2016 concert, Xu Xin proposed to Yao Yan at the Open, and a few days later, the two low-key licenses, ending a long love run. In September 2019, Xu Xin posted a message on social media that with a son, Xu Xin was upgraded to become a father.
For Xu Xin, in the Tokyo Olympic Games cycle, it is still an indispensable main force of national table tennis, with the mixed doubles officially becoming a Tokyo Olympic games event, Liu Guoliang began to launch the heavy mixed doubles combination of Xu Xin / Liu Shiwen in 2018, becoming a national table tennis Tokyo Olympic games combination.
Rushing to various competitions, although the 2020 international competition was once suspended, but the Olympic competition is the highlight, the national table tennis is busy with training, Xu Xin, like many players, gathers less with his family.
On June 1 this year, Xu Xin released the message "Happy Holidays Treasure!" Two years of June 1 have not been with you, next year must be made up", and with two photos of his son. Previously, the Nanyang station competition had just ended, and Xu Xin also went to the next training point with the national table tennis team.
For many people, it is very common to spend various holidays with their children. For Xu Xin, it was the two Children's Day after the birth of his son, and he did not accompany his son. After tasting it, it was a bit sad.
"Next year must be made up", it seems to reveal Xu Xin's career plans, after all, for Xu Xin, who was born in 1990, he is already a "veteran" in his thirties, and it is no accident that the Tokyo Olympic Games will be the last Olympic trip.
Special Correspondent Li Ranran (Tokyo Today)
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