On the evening of the 20th, in the men's table tennis semifinals of the 14th National Games, the Beijing team defeated the host Shaanxi team 3:1 to advance to the final.
Throughout the game, everyone paid more attention to the Shaanxi team veteran Hou Yingchao.
In fact, to a large extent, it is precisely because of his outstanding performance that led the Shaanxi team to the semi-finals.
In this game, it was he who scored 1 point for the team.
On this day, Hou Yingchao has been on the hot search list three times. From "#侯英超41岁了#" to "#侯英超3比2王楚钦#", the veteran explained the profound connotation of the word "love" with his persistence.
In the men's table tennis quarter-finals of the National Games that ended on the afternoon of the 20th, the Shaanxi team defeated the Shanghai team led by Xu Xin 3:2 and successfully advanced.
In this fierce battle, Hou Yingchao alone won 2 points for the Shaanxi team and made great contributions to the victory.
The picture shows Hou Yingchao in the game.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Gang
In the quarter-finals, when the Shanghai player Zhao Zihao returned to the net in 1997, Hou Yingchao finally won the 17-year-old match.
He raised his arms and shouted, yelling up to the sky, venting his excitement.
His outstanding performance helped the Shaanxi team create the best results in the table tennis event of the National Games.
After the fanatical celebration, the fans suddenly discovered that Hou Yingchao was 41 years old.
Image source: Hou Yingchao's personal Weibo screenshot.
After a hard fight in the afternoon, Hou Yingchao still showed good fighting spirit in the evening game.
Faced with Wang Chuqin of the Beijing team, he used his patience and experience to get ahead with 12:10.
In the third game, Hou Yingchao once again showed the veteran's calmness when the score was behind, and won by a 13:11 reversal.
The two sides fought fiercely to the decisive game. After Hou Yingchao took the lead at 7:6, he scored 3 points in a row and took the lead in the inventory. In the end, he defeated Wang Chuqin 11:7 and helped the Shaanxi team tie the total score 1:1.
In the subsequent confrontation with Malone, physical fitness limited the 41-year-old veteran's performance.
But even so, the two still played hard to separate, and the difference between the scores of the three games was only 4 points at most.
Image source: Screenshot of Weibo comment.
Hou Yingchao's name was mentioned again by everyone on this day.
Hou Yingchao, who started training at the age of 6, entered the provincial team in 1994 and was selected for the national team in 4 years.
From 1998 to 2013, Hou Yingchao's time span in the national team reached 15 years.
Looking at past resumes, among the talented national table tennis team, Hou Yingchao, who is good at cutting the ball, has not achieved the best results.
In 2000 and 2019, he won the men's singles championship in the national championship twice, which became the two most intense pens in his career.
After leaving the national team in 2013, Hou Yingchao did not choose to put down his table tennis career.
From France, Russia to Austria, Poland, Hou Yingchao has continued to compete in overseas leagues and maintained his competitive state.
The picture shows Hou Yingchao in the game.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Gang
"I play in the league abroad, and my winning rate is over 90%. This is also a motivation for me." In the six years of overseas campaigns, Hou Yingchao won the UEFA Cup and the U.S. Open men's singles championship. Wait for a series of big and small honors.
In 2019, the Shaanxi team threw an olive branch to Hou Yingchao, and the two sides hit it off immediately and contributed to this cooperation.
When talking about joining this time, Hou Yingchao once said that what he values is the opportunity to play against outstanding young people.
On July 29, 2019, in the men's singles final of the National Table Tennis Championships, 39-year-old Hou Yingchao defeated Wang Chuqin 4-0 and
won the men's singles championship again after 19 years, becoming the oldest in Chinese table tennis history. Men's singles championship at the National Championships.
Data map: On July 29, 2019, in the men's singles final of the 2019 National Table Tennis Championships, 39-year-old veteran Hou Yingchao swept Wang Chuqin 4-0 and won the men's singles championship again after 19 years.
Image source: Visual China
Although Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and Xu Xin were absent from that competition, the national championship with a large number of young players still had a high gold content.
From Liang Jingkun, Zhou Qihao, to Wang Chuqin, who was 20 years younger than him in the finals, how easy was it to win the championship for the 39-year-old at the time?
Hou Yingchao did it.
Data map: On July 29, 2019, in the men's singles final of the 2019 National Table Tennis Championships, 39-year-old veteran Hou Yingchao swept Wang Chuqin 4-0 and won the men's singles championship again after 19 years.
Image source: Visual China
After winning the championship, Hou Yingchao won wide acclaim from all parties. In the eyes of the outside world, he almost staged a "miracle in table tennis."
But the veteran's words were full of low-key, attributed the reason for winning to "good luck."
In the Shaanxi National Games, Hou Yingchao talked about "enjoying the game" most.
On personal social media, Hou Yingchao posted pictures with Wang Manyu, Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong, and Sun Yingsha, with smiles all over his face.
For a 41-year-old veteran, how can he not overflow with happiness if he can see the heritage of Guoping.
Image source: Hou Yingchao's personal Weibo screenshot.
In the quarter-finals with Zhao Zihao's decisive game, Hou Yingchao fell behind 7:9, but then he scored 4 points in a row and won the final victory with 11:9.
Many netizens have expressed that Hou Yingchao "the treasure is not old" and "the veteran style remains the same."
As everyone knows, this five rounds of fierce battle has made the veteran's body a little overwhelming.
The outcome was determined, Hou Yingchao "lay flat" instantly, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Fortunately, the medical staff checked it and it was no problem.
Afterwards, Hou Yingchao said in an interview that the nerves were always tense during the game. After the game, he felt that his physical strength was overdrawn and he wanted to calm himself down.
The picture shows Hou Yingchao in the game.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Gang
Although failed to help the Shaanxi team go further in the semifinals, veteran Hou Yingchao has exhausted all he has.
For the 41-year-old, time is destined to polish away a little competitive state, but the share in his heart has never wavered.
"Actually, I still have a deep feeling for table tennis itself. It has always been a part of my life or body." This is what Hou Yingchao said in an interview before. The simple and simple language reveals a veteran that is the most fascinating. Moving thoughts.
On the court, Hou Yingchao is still holding on, and this perseverance deserves everyone's applause.
(Liu Xingchen)