On September 30, at 10:30 in the evening, the carriages of Beijing Subway Line 2 were still crowded.
Many young people are going to Tiananmen Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony the next morning.
Among them, three teenagers looked at the hot search and discussed Chinese women's basketball.
As of the time of writing, the number of entries for #Chinese Women's Basketball Into the World Cup Final# has exceeded 900 million.
When the reporter opened the circle of friends, the photos of the women's basketball players wearing the five-star red flag had already been dynamically swiped, and there were about 60 pictures.
Image source: Screenshot of Weibo topic
That night, at the Sydney Olympic Park Superdome, the host Australian women's basketball team and the Chinese women's basketball team met in the semi-finals.
Whenever the camera switched to the auditorium, Chinese fans waved cheering banners, and Australian fans were also not far behind.
The fans roared equally, and the same was true for the game on the court, with the two teams entangled for almost the entire game.
With more than 20 seconds left in the game, the two teams were tied at 59.
The Chinese women's basketball coach Zheng Wei on the sidelines bowed forward and directed the defensive positions of the players on the court.
Until the Australian player threw a "three non-stick", she raised her hands to praise the team.
The picture shows the Chinese audience at the scene.
Image credit: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
The reporter has a strong premonition that the women's basketball team will enter the World Cup final again after 28 years.
When the girls became the winners, Yao Ming, the chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association on the sidelines, narrowed his eyes with a smile.
October 1, National Day.
The Chinese women's basketball team set foot on the World Cup finals, standing opposite them is the women's basketball world No. 1 US team.
In the memory of many old fans, the last time the US women's basketball team lost in the World Series dates back to 2006.
Due to a fever, Li Meng, the main striker of the Chinese women's basketball team, failed to play in the semifinals.
The final still failed to appear.
After the opening, the Chinese team used their biggest advantage, inside.
When Li Yueru succeeded in consecutive baskets, Wang Siyu made a three-pointer from the outside, and the Chinese women's basketball team achieved the goal they wanted.
The picture shows Li Yueru in the final.
Image source: IC photo
Wu Tongtong, who was born in 1994, is already a veteran player in this national team and is famous for his offense in the WCBA league.
When the U.S. team tried to close the gap, she scored 6 points in a row to stabilize the team.
When the U.S. team scored consecutive inside points, the Chinese women's basketball coach Zheng Wei waved his hand and brought out the "twin towers" combination of Li Yueru and Han Xu.
Li Yueru blocked the opponent, and 30-year-old Jin Weina made a three-pointer and the light turned on.
The Chinese women's basketball team trailed by 10 points at halftime.
After the opponent increased the defensive intensity, Wang Siyu gave the team a "stimulant" with a sudden cold arrow.
When Wu Tongtong was injured unexpectedly, the US team also applauded the "warrior".
Due to the gap in strength, the Chinese women's basketball team failed to beat the US team.
But this is enough for the people of the country.
Image source: screenshot of circle of friends
fire of heritage
During the World Cup, Zheng Wei celebrated her 59th birthday.
The birthday cake has the words "FIBA World Cup, Sydney, 1994, 2022".
After the battle with Australia, she was thrown high by the team members, and her memory may have returned to 28 years ago.
In 1994, the event was also known as the Women's Basketball World Championship.
Also in Sydney, the "golden generation" of the Chinese women's basketball team, who once made a big splash in the Barcelona Olympics, won the runner-up trophy.
That was the best score that people have talked about in a long time.
The Chinese women's basketball team on this expedition was led by Zheng Wei and Wang Fang as the deputy team leader.
The two were members of the team that year, and they witnessed the most glorious era of women's basketball.
Coincidentally, 28 years ago, the women's basketball team also beat Australia to reach the final.
Image source: China Basketball Team Weibo
"Sydney is our blessed land." When Zheng Wei led the new women's basketball girls to the World Cup finals again, the word "inheritance" was written on the back.
In the "golden generation" of women's basketball that year, there were world-class combinations such as Zheng Haixia and Cong Xuedi.
The strength of the Chinese team is now more balanced, and the concept of "team basketball" was deeply buried in the heart of the new team as early as the establishment of the new team.
"At this moment he is not fighting alone, he is not alone." This is the most classic line in the movie "Slam Dunk".
Fans like to use this sentence to describe the current Chinese women's basketball team. The girls believe in each other and fearless Jin Lan.
fulfill the promise
The last time the Chinese women's basketball team advanced to the semi-finals of the World Series was 14 years ago, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
At the door of the house, Miao Lijie and Chen Nan led the team to the semi-finals.
Although they failed to get on the podium in the end, everyone has long believed in their hearts that it was an era when the flowers of women's basketball bloomed again.
Today's Chinese women's basketball players were only in their early 10s at the time. They were full of longing for the future, and they may have cheered for their predecessors in front of the TV.
But competitive sports will grind people after all.
6th at the London Olympics, lost to Japan in the 2015 Asian Championships final by 35 points, and only ranked 10th at the Rio Olympics... In those years, the loss of the picture became a pain in the hearts of women's basketball girls and fans.
The picture shows Xu Limin guiding the training.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Sheng Jiapeng.
In 2017, Xu Limin took over the coaching role of the Chinese women's basketball team when he was appointed at a low point.
In the first public training session, he made a promise under the witness of the players: strive to win the Asian championship back and make a difference in the international arena.
The photos of the Japanese team celebrating their victory hanging in the stadium are the most realistic inspiration for the women's basketball girls.
That day was April 10, 2017.
Three months later, in the semi-finals of the Indian Women's Basketball Asian Cup, with the last shot missed, the Chinese team still lost to the Japanese team.
But this time, the difference is only 3 points.
Gradually, everyone began to pay attention to the Chinese women's basketball team who experienced setbacks and started again.
In the training hall of the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China, the girls worked hard on their physical fitness, and the treadmills were dripping with sweat.
Under the almost demanding requirements, the growth of Han Xu, Li Yuan and other young players is "visible to the naked eye", and the Chinese women's basketball team is getting closer and closer to achieving the goal that has been in mind for a long time.
The picture shows the Chinese women's basketball team in the final.
Image source: IC photo
The Chinese team successfully won the Asian Games in Jakarta.
On the 11th day after winning the championship, Xu Limin chose to warn the team with rather stern words, and the road ahead is still long.
"Don't relax just because of an Asian champion," he said.
In his opinion, being able to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and stand on the podium of the World Series is the goal that this Chinese women's basketball team should aim for.
Now, 4 years have passed, and the girls have fulfilled their promises.
On the way forward, there have been troughs and ups and downs, but the belief in victory has never changed.
The future can be expected
The 2019 Asian Cup lost to Japan, and the Tokyo Olympics suffered a reversal by Serbia...
The gradually mature Chinese women's basketball team seems to have encountered a bottleneck period. There is only a layer of window paper between entering the semi-finals of the World Series and the girls. They have been waiting for an important victory.
But time will not fail those who work hard. All the hardships encountered will eventually turn into beautiful blooms.
In the World Cup, the 12 players of the Chinese women's basketball team, everyone is ready to be a hero.
After the World Cup match against Australia, the women's basketball locker room was full of joy, and assistant coach Jia Nan opened champagne to celebrate the victory.
Chinese women's basketball in the game.
Image source: IC photo
"Who is the second best now?" Huang Sijing said to Wang Fang.
In the mouth of the team members, they prefer to call her "Aunt Fang".
In the battle with the host, the girls fought for 40 minutes, and they prepared for this for 5 years, and the Chinese people have been eager for the women's basketball team to stand on the podium of the World Series for 28 years.
From Wang Fang and Zheng Wei's point of view, it is a pity that they missed the championship in the 1994 Women's Basketball World Championship.
Looking at the vibrant players and the new Chinese women's basketball team with an average age of only 26 years old, Wang Fangyu said earnestly, "You have the opportunity to make history."
Although it failed to create the best record in history in the end, many people believe that such opportunities will appear frequently in the future.
The fans who have accompanied the team along the way believe in women's basketball as much as they believe the sun will rise as usual tomorrow.
In this World Cup, the most frequently spoken word by the Chinese team in the face of the camera is "thank you", which is exactly what the fans want to say to the women's basketball girls.
Australia, located in the southern hemisphere, has witnessed two brilliant achievements of the Chinese women's basketball team.
When countless Chinese fans poured into the stadium, the Chinese girls felt like they were fighting at home, and they felt the strength of the motherland.
With the performance of tying the best record in history, the whole team is like a beam of light, shining into the hearts of fans and illuminating the way forward for Chinese basketball.
Image source: Chinese Basketball Team
"Our whole team hopes to celebrate the motherland's birthday with the best mental outlook and the best performance on the court." After the 63-point victory over the South Korean team in the first game of the World Cup, Zheng Wei expressed the wishes of all the members of the Chinese women's basketball team.
This birthday present is heavy enough.
"The years are wasted, and I am full of emotions." The Chinese women's basketball team and the team doctor wrote in the circle of friends.
The picture freezes, the girls smile innocently, and all the fans see are the words "the future is promising".
The article is cut, looking at the confident figures of the women's basketball girls, and recalling the way they came, my eyes are a little rosy.
I know that at this moment, there are too many people who love this team as much as I do.
Author: Liu Xingchen