China News Service, Beijing, July 4 Question: Lin Dan's 20 years, "Goodbye" is hard to say
China News Agency reporter Xing Chong
"2000-2020, for 20 years, I have to say goodbye to the national team too. Originally it was really difficult to export." On July 4, Lin Dan, a famous Chinese badminton player, announced his retirement and officially bid farewell to his 20-year national team career. .
In June last year, Li Zongwei, a Malaysian star with nasopharyngeal cancer, retired with tears. Despite the good treatment, his physical condition failed to recover at his best, and he had to stop the road to the Tokyo Olympics. Lin Dan, who staged dozens of classic "Lin-Li Wars" and was regarded by the outside world as Li Zongwei's "enemy of his life," said with emotion: "Playing alone, no one is with me."
The hero is late, always sighing and sighing. Lin Dan, Li Zongwei, and Gade and Taufik, who retired earlier, are known as the "four kings" of the world badminton world. They have achieved each other in fierce competition. Now with Lin Dan's retirement, the curtain of the "Four Kings" officially came to an end.
Lin Dan's 20 years, won 20 world championships: 2 Olympic champions, 5 world championships, 6 soup cup champions, 5 Su Cup champions, 2 World Cup champions, the most outstanding record in the "four kings" .
However, in these 20 years, Lin Dan also experienced a trough. In 2002, Lin Dan was eliminated in the first round of the Thomas Cup and the subsequent Opens, and was given the nickname of "Lin Lin". At the Athens Olympics, Lin Dan, who had already ranked first in the world before the game, was again The first round of halberds was again questioned by the outside world.
Out of the trough, Lin Dan said "the real change is still on his own." During the three Olympic cycles in Beijing, London and Rio, Lin Dan reached his peak in career and won 19 world championship titles. In 2015, Gade, one of the "Four Kings" once said that no one can reach Lin Dan's level and strength. He is the greatest player of all time.
The successful Lin Dan did not retreat without a full body, especially after experiencing the storm caused by personal life problems in 2016, he chose to stick to it and launch a shock to the fifth Olympic journey.
The veteran is late, and Lin Dan after the peak has not been able to get rid of. During the Tokyo Olympics, his competitive state went downhill, and he began to encounter "one round of travel" constantly.
Lin Dan's three rounds of "one-round tour" in the 2020 season, the British match in March this year was regarded as a key opportunity for Lin Dan to win Olympic points, but he still lost to Chen Long 0:2 in the second round.
According to the Tokyo Olympics badminton competition rules, each men’s singles association can only have a maximum of 2 seats. Lin Dan is already at a great disadvantage in the competition with Chen Long and Shi Yuqi, and the extension of the Tokyo Olympics makes his Olympic prospects even more. Cast a haze.
After the All England match, Lin Dan and the national team have been in closed training at Chengdu Shuangliu Base. The Chinese badminton team revealed that the World Badminton Federation's tournament restart plan has been changed repeatedly, coupled with his own injury and illness, etc., Lin Dan feels that it is more and more difficult to continue, and finally made a decision to retire.
Looking back on the past 20 years, Lin Dan thanked his family, coaches, teammates and fans for accompanying him through many peak moments and difficult troughs. After going through the four Olympic journeys, he never thought about leaving or thinking. "I am 37 years old. My physical fitness and pain no longer allow me to fight side by side with my teammates. There are gratitude, perseverance, reluctance and frustration."
Lin Dan's 20 years is also the peak period of Chinese badminton. When Lin Dan entered the national team, when the talents were not in the blue, he quickly grew and gradually carried the national team banner, leading the team to win the five consecutive championship cups and the Su Cup four consecutive championships. Even at the end of his career, Lin Dan is still regarded as the team's centering stone.
Today, Chinese badminton is moving forward in the trough. In the 2019 World Championships, the national badminton only earned one gold in mixed doubles, setting the worst record since the competition; this year's All England Championship only won two silvers, setting the worst record in 25 years.
Chinese badminton singles coach Xia Xuanze and Lin Dan have been living together for many years. He said that Lin Dan’s love for badminton, meticulous attitude towards training and excellent results have been the goals of young athletes to catch up.
Farewell to Lin Dan these 20 years, how long is it until the birth of the next "king"? Not to mention that in the national badminton formation, looking at the world badminton world, even if the Japanese star Moto Kento, who has long been at the top of the men's singles list, his qualifications and record can not be compared with Lin Dan.
Lin Dan turned around, perhaps leaving a record of no one before and hard to come by. (Finish)