Chapter 29 2. My brother Bao

There is a person, the two of us are like two intersecting spectral lines, sometimes close and sometimes far away, sometimes close and sometimes distant, but no matter where the future direction of each other is, we have left inseparable feelings in the most important ten years of each other's life. An obliterated imprint.This irreplaceable person is my brother Bao Chunlai. We met because of badminton, and we were once alienated because of badminton.Only when we no longer only have scores and wins and losses between us, can we return to the most innocent era.I believe that it still exists, and sports should not only be cruel.

Bao Chunlai is eight or eight months older than me, but we all call him "Little Bao". The 15-year-old Lin Dan was suspended for 20 days in the Bayi team because he lost his temper and beat the racket during training. Bao Chunlai, who lives in Changsha, is the child who listens to the coach the most in the Hunan team. He has the highest understanding and the fastest progress. Appreciated by the coach. We reported to the national team on the same day, and in our group, there were only two of us left in the end.We fought together and won our first world title - the Thomas Cup in 2004.We have also stood across the net countless times.Some people say that it is a tragedy that Bao Chunlai was born in Lin Dan's era.I don't like or even resent people describing our relationship in this way.This kind of expression hurt Bao Chunlai the most.I always feel that we are both trained by the Chinese team, and our guns are aimed at the same outside, instead of aiming at each other standing next to each other.

The strange thing is that when I think of Xiaobao now, the first thing that comes to my mind is that we played some games like Tianwang Challenge when we were young.After the game, we will use the little bonus we got to eat McDonald's, KFC, or spend Sunday together. In 2000, two boys under the age of 18 came to Beijing from Fuzhou and Changsha respectively.That year, Bao was already the World Youth Championship men's singles champion.Some people think that Bao Chunlai is Zhao Jianhua back then, left-handed, tall and skilled.At that time, many coaches in the team hoped to focus on him for training.But who can say that people are born to be cultivated with emphasis?I am ordinary, but through my own efforts, I am also proving myself bit by bit.

The coach's preference for Bao did not affect our relationship.We are like two big trees, encouraging and supporting each other to grow together. For a while, we were practically inseparable.Since entering the national first team, the two of us lived in the same room every time we went out to play.Sometimes when going to European competitions, the conditions of some hotels are not particularly good.European hotel rooms are not too big, and it is common to have only one big bed.At this time, the two of us will sleep together. Young people have so much energy, we usually go to bed late and talk in the same bed, about everything.We had a good time chatting and singing together.That kind of tacit understanding is that you don't understand what you say, but the other party understands everything.Then they were chatting, and they didn't know what time it was. There was a sudden silence in the room, and one of them knew that the other had fallen asleep.

After the mobile phone alarm clock rang the next morning, none of us would take the initiative to turn off the alarm clock.Always wait until the ringing stops before going back to sleep.We were both awake at the time, but neither of us cared about it, we were both pretending to be asleep. At that time, Xie Xingfang had nothing to do, and Xiao Bao and I would often go shopping together.The main reason why the two of us are often together is that our appetites are very large.At that time, the stomachs of both of them were a bit scary, maybe Xiaobao ate more than me. I remember one year in Tangbei, when I returned to the room after playing the game, I was so tired that I didn’t even have the energy to take a shower, but I still had to go to the team doctor for treatment.When I came back again, my clothes had been washed and dried.I don't sleep well and wake up easily. Every time I go out for a game and I take a nap, Bao Chunlai goes to practice.Even in the room, he didn't do anything, didn't make a sound, just to let me rest.There is no need to say much between us.

There are many cute things about Xiaobao.I remember when we first arrived in the national team and lived in the basement, we sometimes watched ghost movies together as a group.When the plot and the picture became more and more frightening, I found out of the corner of my eye that Bao Chunlai retreated more and more, and then he disappeared.When I turned my head to look at him again, he was already hiding behind with a pillow in his arms.So, everyone would laugh at him at that time, thinking why is he so timid? As we grew up, many fans and the media became more and more concerned about our rivalry.Also because of this kind of competition, the net in the middle really made our relationship a bit confusing for a while.

Everyone has their own dreams to pursue, if our dreams happen to be the same goal, then someone will be hurt. At the press conference after winning the National Games in 2005, a reporter asked me what I would like to say to Bao Chun.I said that day that winning or losing is just a thin line, which is determined by some very subtle links, and there will definitely be more champions waiting for him. At that time, there were still three years before the Beijing Olympic Games. I especially said to all the media present: "I hope that I can be the two sharp knives of the Chinese men's singles with Bao Chunlai, guarding the upper and lower halves of the men's singles, and then meeting in the final like today. It's the happiest thing for me. As for the final, it's between the two of us."

Unfortunately, not many people really listened to these words.Sometimes, the media often get the direction wrong.It was also because of the endless comparisons from the outside world that to some extent separated the two of us and turned into an antagonistic relationship, and it was the two of us who were hurt in the end.What we need is a stage to conquer the world together, but... this is the most regrettable. In Madrid in the summer of 2006, when I made my third attempt to win the men's singles championship at the World Championships, unexpectedly, the scene I expected in the Olympics was staged ahead of schedule.

In Madrid, Bao and I fought in three games in the final, and the process of the game was very similar to the situation when we fought against each other in those years.In the first game, he won, and I was always in a state of catching up; in the second game, when he was only 3 points away from the championship point, I seized the opportunity to achieve a comeback; in the final decisive game, I reversed and won. That day, the happiest coach was Li Yongbo.When explaining the game on CCTV, he said that the Chinese men's singles team defeated all the main opponents this time, and it is the first time in the history of the Chinese badminton team to win the men's singles championship, second and third place in the World Championships.That can also be called the heyday of Chinese men's singles.I thought that we would go hand in hand like two chariots and go straight to Beijing in 2008.

From the City Games in 2003, the National Championships in 2004, the National Games in 2005, and the World Championships in 2006, we have met in the finals of major competitions for four consecutive years.Every step of my success seems to be on Xiao Bao's shoulders.As the weight of the competition gradually escalated, the competition between us became more intense and cruel.Regrettably, what followed was that the once relatively innocent relationship between the two gradually became embarrassing, and finally they drifted apart. Many people think that this is too cruel for Xiao Bao, so many competitions have been lost at the last breath.But everyone, don't forget, there is also Li Zongwei.What Li Zongwei lost will only make him more painful in comparison. He cares more about the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2011 World Championships.He didn't even have a title of world champion, and some people called him "the loser takes the king".What should he do?

Although my innate conditions may not be as good as others, in the end, I also let everyone see that Lin Dan is valuable. There are too many stages that determine our different destinies.The audience needs the two of us to be the protagonists, but there is only one winner of the two protagonists.Each of us will receive a lot of attention, and then we will be pushed together to fight to the death, and it will become impossible to end.I can only describe it in one sentence - this is competitive sports. The Beijing Olympics brought such cruelty to its climax.Bao Chunlai and I were divided into different half districts as we wished.In other words, the moment we meet at the Olympic Games, it must be the final.However, he missed the appointment. When Bao Chunlai appeared in front of us again, he had already shaved his head.We all understand the reason why he did this.But to be honest, I was very sad at the time.I want to say that as a real strong person, sometimes you don’t need to care too much about what others think of you, just be yourself.After the 2004 Athens Olympics, I didn’t do much. I continued to train and compete, and use my results to prove that “I can still do it.” That’s fine. Xiao Bao put too much pressure on himself.Of course there will be too many people paying attention to him, but I am worried that he will not be able to afford it.Sports people need to have their own strong side, I am like this, this is me. In the four years from 2008 to 2012, time seemed to run faster than ever.With the London Olympics approaching, our teammates sometimes get together to analyze whether there is still a chance to participate in the World Championships, whether there is a chance to participate in the Olympics, and even the Thomas Cup.Many times I have already felt that there is no way for the Chinese men's singles to continue to maintain the lineup for the Beijing Olympics, and someone will definitely leave first. On the day Bao Chunlai announced his withdrawal from the national team, we were participating in a competition abroad.Because I was mentally prepared, it felt like, what should come still came. He didn't leave right away, but moved out of the Temple of Heaven apartment little by little.When he has no more fun on this stage and no value he wants, there is no need to block himself on a road.I support his decision.He finally left because he was sad.But he can still show his talent in another world. One day in the future, I will follow in his footsteps and leave the sport, there is no way.Competitive sports can only allow the strong to survive, but not the weak, which is also its charm.By then, I'll be proud of myself.I have persisted for so many years, and I have not been overwhelmed by young athletes, nor eliminated by the international stage. The room where Xiao Bao used to be is now reserved for Du Pengyu.That's how athletes are, generation after generation, on and on.Now, Xiaobao has arrived in a new environment and has his own work and arrangements.Sometimes life is like this. When we can finally put aside those turmoil and face each other frankly, the rhythm of the two is not in line, and it is difficult to get together. However, when I heard that his mother had come to Beijing for an operation, I once proposed to go back with Xiao Bao to visit his parents.We had a meal together at Bao's home in Beijing. I ate a lot that day, because the food cooked by Xiao Bao's mother was very delicious.This reminds me of our two "big stomach kings" when we were young.I also told Bao's mother that I will be fine in the future, and I will definitely come to eat. When winning or losing, winning or losing is no longer the theme between us, we both seem to have returned to the days when we first came to Beijing.At the gate of the Temple of Heaven apartment, there are often fans standing there, looking forward to meeting their idols.Among them, Bao Chunlai must have the most fans.I am also often recognized by the fans. They chase me "Lin Dan, Lin Dan", but when I stop, seven or eight times out of ten, the other party will say: "Lin Dan, we like you very much. Can you help me?" Shall I bring this letter (or this gift) to Bao Chunlai?" Therefore, the value of an athlete is ultimately not measured by the number of gold medals, but by what you have left in this era.As far as I know, whether it is the Chinese men's badminton singles in the past or the present, there is no athlete who has more fans than Bao Chun.I don't think I have as many fans as him.There must be a reason why so many people like him. This is also the charm of an idol.I think this is amazing and beyond my reach.