The group stage ended today (3rd), and the nine members of the Chinese team played normally, and the nine events they participated in were all qualified.
Chinese players in the game.
We had been training in the training gym for a few days before the start of the tournament and didn't get 20 minutes to adjust to the playing field until the start day. Judging from the situation in the past few days, the daily wind direction in the arena is not the same, and the wind direction of each venue is not the same. But these are equal for all teams, and our players play very steadily, which shows that their adaptability to the venue and environment is really good.
Looking at the whole group stage, none of our team members dropped the chain, but played better than the other. But there are many seeded players in other teams who have lost, and one seeded player in the women's singles SU5 level has not even been able to qualify from the group, according to Previous reports in the European media, she has the strength to compete for gold. In this case, we all qualified for all the events and only lost one game, which shows that everyone is really working hard.
19-year-old Yin Menglu in the game.
Moreover, Yin Menglu, who is the women's singles WH1 class, also gave us a surprise, defeating the top seed and the biggest winner in the group stage, Romerina Samarina. In the previous Asian Paralympic and Paralympic points competitions, Yin Menglu had lost to her several times in singles and doubles, so she was still a little afraid at first. In the first set, the other side made more mistakes, Yin Menglu led all the way, and won the big score. But she still did not let go of the pressure, the second set was behind, to catch up at the end of the set, and when the lead was a little anxious, the score alternately rose to 24-22 to win.
After the game, Yin Menglu was particularly excited, and after three or two bites, she ate a banana and kept telling me, "I thought I was going to play three rounds." I think she can win, first of all, of course, is inseparable from her efforts and progress over the past year, and the opponent may also be a little light. Another very important point is that she has always held the idea of "even if you can't win, you have to fight with her for three games". I also seized this point and have always encouraged her, before the start of the game, I told her, you have practiced so hard, you now have this strength, don't be afraid of her, just play more with her, look for scoring opportunities from it. When I was behind in the second inning, I said, if it's a big deal, play three innings, anyway, there is a game at the bottom of what to be afraid of.
Dong Jiong knelt down on one knee to guide Yin Menglu during the game.
This ball was the most unexpected surprise of the entire group stage of the Chinese team, which made the coaching staff also excited. I felt that the game was very rewarding, the second set was a bonus, the mentality was a workout, and it also laid confidence for the later games. According to the draw, the two will meet in the semi-finals. I think Yin Menglu will at least not be like this one in confidence, after all, she has just won the other side, and I hope that she can perform better when the time comes.
After the group stage, although the players played well, for me, it was not yet time to be happy and relieved. Because I still have a goal in mind, that is, to strive for three gold medals, no matter how many surprises there are in front of me, this goal has not yet been achieved. These days, I get out early and go back to the stadium every morning and night, my energy is all on the game, and I don't have time to think back to the scene when I participated in the Olympic Games. After the 5th game, if you get the gold medal, sigh again.
(Dong Jiong, head coach of the Chinese paralympic badminton team, dictated by Wang Xiaoxiao)
(The image of this article is provided by Dong Jiong.) ）