China News Client, Beijing, July 5 (Li He) The list of Chinese badminton teams on the Tokyo Olympics will not have "Super Dan" anymore. With noon on the 4th, Lin Dan issued a post on personal social media to announce his retirement, and Guo Yu completely entered the "post-lindan" era. Without the "Super Dan" blessing Guoyu men's singles, who will carry the flag?
From the first summit in 2002 to the first in the world, to 16th in the Rio Olympic Games, and the fourth place in the 20-year national team career, Lin Dan has been the backbone of the national feather men's singles and even the entire Chinese badminton team for most of the time. Originally, in order to pass the role of the gang inside the team and at the same time also achieve his fifth Olympic journey, Lin Dan had plans to "support" to Tokyo.
However, all this has changed with the extension of the Tokyo Olympics.
Data map: Lin Dan. News reporter Du Yangshe
However, although Lin Dan's retired "suddenly happened", this may not have too much impact on the current pattern of the national feather men's singles, because originally, in the internal competition for the men's singles Olympics, Lin Dan did not account for rankings and points Advantage. Even if the event resumes as scheduled, it is only a matter of time before Lin Dan misses the Tokyo Olympics.
But the question is, when Lin Dan leaves, where is the next leader in the national feather men's singles to achieve such achievements? In other words, who can continue the team's glory for the men's singles gold medal three consecutive championships?
Now, it seems that there are enough candidates to target the Tokyo Olympics a year later. It seems that there is nothing better than the two best choices of veteran Chen Long and new generation power Shi Yuqi.
Originally, defending champion Chen Long ranked 5th, and his qualifications for the Olympics were intact. And another quota plan is generated between the new generation forces Shi Yuqi and Lin Dan. Now that Lin Dan is retiring, the lineup of Guoyu's Tokyo Olympic men's singles has also surfaced. As a result, the question becomes Chen Long and Shi Yuqi, who can become the flag bearer of Guoyu men's singles, or maybe they Can you become a flag bearer?
Chen Long celebrated the victory. News reporter Du Yangshe
After entering the Tokyo Olympics cycle, Chen Long's competitive state fluctuated several times. Especially in the past two seasons, the record achieved is not ideal. In addition to the French Open champion, there are few dazzling personal results. In addition, Chen Long's age is still not small, and now he is 31 years old, he still faces the challenge of postponing the Tokyo Olympics.
However, under the training of the new coach Li Mao, Chen Long is also making changes to his style of play. From a positive point of view, the extension also gave him more time to complete the finalization of his new tactics. When it comes to goals, Chen Long is the highest podium for the Tokyo Olympics.
As the defending champion, Chen Long is certainly a strong contender for the Tokyo Olympics men's singles gold medal. The other side of the problem is that the champion does not necessarily equal the leader. In 2016 in Rio, Chen Long became the final winner of the men's singles, but in terms of leading figures, his leadership and temperament seem to be a little worse.
The young Shi Yuqi can be regarded as the future of Guo Yu, but another way of saying that the future does not belong to the present. At the Tokyo Olympics, he still has a year to play, and he still needs to hone his qualifications and experience. Fortunately, due to the delay of the game, he had a lot of time to adjust and recover from the injury.
Data Map: Shi Yuqi is in the game. China News Agency reporter Du Yangshe
On the other hand, Shi Yuqi at this time is probably under a lot of pressure. After all, the halo of the predecessor is too dazzling. Today, Shi Yuqi has gradually taken on more responsibilities within the team, but whether he can grow into a unique "post" in the future depends on his investment and desire, as well as the polishing of the Guoyu team.
Moreover, the pattern faced by Guoyu Men's Singles is much more complicated than it was four years ago. At home, Momota Kendou is the undoubted male single brother in the current badminton world. Axelon in good condition is also a strong contender for the Tokyo Olympics gold medal. Although the goal of the Chinese badminton team is to compete for hardware, as far as the men's singles project is concerned, it can only be said that there is a chance, but it is not absolutely certain.
In the long run, who will be like Lin Dan to become the target that the national feather men's singles can rely on for a long time. It must be unrealistic to expect Chen Long, born in 1989, to remain competitive after the Tokyo Olympics. And now it seems that the names of Chen Long and Shi Yuqi can be seen behind the players: Zhao Junpeng, Lu Guangzu and Huang Yuxiang have not yet shown their qualities among the top players.
The picture shows Lu Guangzu in the men's singles match. China News Agency reporter An Yuanshe
So after looking over Tokyo, at least there is no alternative. If Shi Yuqi fails to grow as expected, then the next Olympic cycle after Tokyo will be the real problem for Guo Yu.
Because of this, in addition to the Tokyo in front of today's national feather men's singles, it is also necessary to think about the future of Paris.
Lin Dan retired, taking away the beautiful memories belonging to the four heavenly kings and the golden years belonging to the golden generation of Guoyu. The glory of the last three Olympic cycles has been engraved into history, and the departure of Lin Dan has also drawn away the last trace of nostalgia for the past. As a strong team still standing in the world badminton world, Guo Yu should aim at the future.
Perhaps one year later in Tokyo, the national feather men's singles brought us memories will not be too bad. But the future can only be expected now. (Finish)