Chapter 21 9. London·Olympics is not the end

Entering the London Olympic year, everyone is focusing on whether Lin Dan can successfully defend his title.But for me, although winning the championship is important, it is not the only one.Sometimes I think it's really silly to get entangled in what competition to win the championship and how many championships to win.And these ideas became clearer after I participated in the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony. Invited by the Laureus Champions Committee, as one of the candidates for the best male athlete of the year, I had the honor to travel to London to participate in this grand ceremony. In the early morning of February 5, we arrived at London Heathrow Airport after a nearly 14-hour long-distance flight, and a heavy snowfall came unexpectedly.I heard that it was the first snow in London in 2012. Many people told me that it was a good sign.Six six months later, on August 5th, the London Olympics badminton men's singles final will be staged at the Wembley Stadium.No one in the world of badminton has been able to win consecutive men's singles championships at the Olympics, so this time I have a different mission than I did four years ago.

But when I am in Westminster Central Hall with many international sports superstars, or when I am received by the British Prime Minister Mr. Cameron at No. 10 Downing Street, I know that even the only badminton "Grand Slam" in the world , remains insignificant on the international stage. When I stepped onto the red carpet of the awards ceremony, I heard a voice shouting from afar: "Brother Dan, Brother Dan!" When I saw it, it was a photographer from the International Badminton Federation waving at me.Therefore, the badminton community and the Chinese media in London are really interested in my arrival.Before going to the awards ceremony, I told myself that I represent not only China, but also the sport of badminton.

In London, I have a very deep understanding: Every year, so many new world champions are born in our Chinese sports circle, not just badminton, but really influential, or like Lawrence's theme of "sports change the world", change life project, not yet.The most important thing is to see whether the sport has great charm, whether it is liked by people from all over the world, whether it is global and has commercial value.With this platform, you can show your personal charm, otherwise it will be very limited. In the end, tennis player Djokovic, who won three Grand Slams last year, won the male athlete of the year.At the awards ceremony, the live video first mentioned that Bolt is the fastest man on earth, then how fast F1 is, and how fast Djokovic can play tennis. At that time, I really wanted to Standing on the stage, he said: "No, you are all wrong, badminton is the fastest sport in the world."

Badminton has very high requirements on speed, endurance, and explosive power, and is one of the sports in the world that requires the highest comprehensive ability of athletes.Chen Wenhong from Malaysia has hit a speed of 421 kilometers per hour. As far as I know, he has a Guinness World Records certificate. In 2011, I won 5 IBF Super Series and Grand Prix championships and the World Championships. I am already very remarkable in the field of badminton men's singles, but no one cares about badminton.When I went to that place, I realized what a truly international sport is. Every year in the world badminton world, China will carve up many championships, and the rest are South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Denmark.This has been a phenomenon for over a decade.But I think that if this project can't become an international sport, and it will always be played there by itself, entertaining itself, then the road ahead will be very narrow and will not receive much attention.

In Lawrence's hall, only Yao Ming and Liu Xiang have won the best newcomer award among Chinese athletes.In China, many people still focus on the Olympics, thinking that this is the most fundamental thing.There is nothing wrong with fighting for the honor of the motherland and hoisting the national flag at the Olympic Games. Even a very great moment may be an unforgettable moment.But at the same time, we also have to ask: Why do some sports not need to pass the Olympic Games, but still get the attention of the world?Because it has such a charm.The charm of sports like football, tennis, and basketball has far surpassed the Olympic Games.Other sports, however, need a stage as huge as the Olympics to demonstrate the value of athletes.There is a fundamental difference.I hope one day I can sit in front of the TV and see badminton players, men and women, being nominated and even awarded in the Lawrence Hall.

In the NBA, it was superstars like Kobe and Jordan who made the professional league played by an American popular all over the world.They have conquered the hearts of hundreds of millions of people with their charm, making the NBA the sports hall that many teenagers dream of.At the Staples Arena, home of the Lakers, there will be generations of loyal fans who come to buy tickets every year and sit in the same position to watch the changes of the team.How enviable such a culture is! Many people like Barcelona in football and Federer in tennis because they show the best and most wonderful part of this sport to the world through their performance.They represent not just their country, but the sport.Everyone knows that Federer is from Switzerland, but Federer will not just play for Switzerland.Just like Barcelona belongs to Spain, but their number one player, Messi, is Argentinian. Spanish local players are only part of the team; they are the best giant club in the world, with their unique style of play; they represent this The most advanced level and top-notch charm of the sport, which has long surpassed the level of winning glory for the country.

In China, the ultimate stage for athletes can only be the Olympic Games held every four years.An athlete has only a few years in his career, and they are betting their youth on the Olympic Games every four years. I think this is too cruel and too cruel.Competitive sports are cruel enough, but wouldn't it be more cruel to make the career of all athletes only worth once every four years? So when I step onto the Wembley Arena, the badminton venue for the London Olympics, in July, I don't want to be fighting just for gold. In 2011, I won my fourth career World Championship title there.That men's singles final should be regarded as one of the classics in the record of me playing against Lee Chong Wei.Although the two of us have played against each other 23 times before, this is the first time we have met at the World Championships.

At that time, after losing to Taufik in the 2010 World Championships with 8 goals and 4 losses, Li Zongwei had an amazing record in the past year, achieving 42 wins and 2 losses, firmly occupying the first place in the world.And the only two losses in a year were to me in the men's singles final of the Asian Games and the Korean Super League final. Some people say that as long as he surpasses Lin Dan, Li Zongwei can achieve dominance.How familiar these words feel, just like they said about me and Taufik back then.Britain is also the blessed land of Lee Chong Wei. We all still remember the scene in Birmingham in early 2011, when Lee Chong Wei defeated me and won the All England Championship for the first time, he knelt down and covered his face and wept.

But Li Zongwei, who participated in the World Championships six times and ranked first in the world for three consecutive years, has never won a world championship. In the 2011 World Championships, Lee Chong Wei was more eager to win the championship than I was.However, I saved the match point twice and won the men's singles championship of the World Championships for the fourth time.I have proved to the world that I will not be satisfied with the "Grand Slam". The world badminton world is still under the rule of Lin Dan, and I am still constantly refreshing history. It was the best match between the two of us for so many years, and Lee Chong Wei also played like a giant, and he was only a hair away from the top of the world.And for me, it was just my 15th world title.

The Wembley Stadium, where I won the 2011 World Championships, is the venue for badminton in the London Olympics.But I'm not going to hint at how much luck I've had on that field.I can only think that a year ago, Li Zongwei and I dedicated the most exciting men's singles final here, not only for ourselves, but also for our opponents, and most importantly for this sport and all the fans present, Even a gift for fans watching the game on TV.This gift has gone beyond the outcome of the game itself. I only hope that in the future, people will talk about this game and stop talking about who won the championship.I hope that at the London Olympics, we can still join hands to present a hearty duel, and then it will be recorded in the annals of history.

I often feel that I am lucky to be born in such an era and have such a good opportunity.Everyone is born with a different mission.Some people just wanted to win the world championship, and finally got it.But as far as I'm concerned, maybe that's not enough, I still have a lot to do.And some goals require the persistence and hard work of several generations.

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