In the table tennis final of Beijing Olympic Games, the Singaporean women's table tennis team led by Liu played against the China women's table tennis team coached by Liu. The two brothers' pledge of "meeting in the final" before the game was really fulfilled ... In the end, the China Legion led by the younger brother won the championship and the Singaporean Legion led by the older brother won the runner-up. How do two young commanders and two brothers deal with the relationship between opponents and brothers on and off the court?
"Liu Zhidi" Liu
The name Liu became familiar to people in China. One reason is that he became the coach of Singapore Women's Table Tennis in 2006, and soon made Singapore a competitor of China Women's Table Tennis. Another reason is that he has a very famous younger brother-Liu, a former Olympic table tennis champion and now the head coach of China table tennis team. Therefore, when people introduce Liu, they always forget to add that he is Liu's younger brother.
Liu and Liu are three years apart. When his brother Liu started to play ball, Liu could only pick up the ball behind his brother's ass. Later, the two brothers played together, but Liu showed more and more extraordinary talents than his brother. When Liu is still looking for a way out in different clubs, Liu is already a future star on which the national team depends. 1994, Liu has established his position as a player in the national team, and Liu Ye came to the national team at this time, but as a sparring partner of the China women's team. One of the selfishness is to take care of my brother conveniently. In Liu's most hesitant and impetuous stage, it was Liu who always accompanied him to remind him that he ushered in glory. At this time, someone began to use that prefix: he is his younger brother Liu.
Due to different opportunities and talents, Liu, who is equally diligent, is not as brilliant as his younger brother. However, as a coach, Liu showed a level not inferior to his younger brother. Around 2002, when Liu coached Shaanxi Yinhe Club, he trained Malone and Hao Shuai. Today, these two players have become the best among the new generation of male table tennis players in China. Later, Liu entered the coaching group of China men's table tennis team as a student. At this time, his younger brother Liu is already the head coach of China men's table tennis team.
On June 5438+ 10, 2006, at the invitation of the Singapore Table Tennis Association, Liu boarded the plane to Singapore. Liu told reporters after the semi-final of the women's team on June 5438+05: "I decided to go to Singapore just to prove myself." Before leaving, he also threw a sentence to his younger brother: "I want to make the Singaporean team the strongest competitor of the China team."
"Devil" Liu's
Before Liu took over, Singapore's women's team had a small reputation in the world, but compared with China-Hong Kong team, which was also composed of former China players, Singapore's record was much worse. After Liu took office, he soon found that although the players of the Singapore women's team, such as Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu, were good in strength, the lax management and discipline of the whole team was the crux of hindering the further improvement of the Singapore team. After Liu took office, he began to strictly manage the army. In an interview with reporters on June 5438+05, he said: "It is to demand them with the strict management of the China table tennis team."
Under the leadership of Liu, the training time of the Singapore team has been extended every day, and "being criticized" has become a routine for the players. Li Jiawei, the "first sister" in the team, will be the first to be taken out for criticism after training every day: to strictly manage the army is to start from the "head". At that time, the whole team from Li Jiawei to the small players went back to the dormitory with red eyes.
Recalling the initial "cruel" running-in process, Liu said: "At first, they would have resistance to my request. However, the improvement of sports performance is the most convincing. Gradually, they have tasted the sweetness from strict training and management, and they are more and more cooperative with me. "
Under Liu's training, the strength of the Singapore women's team has improved by leaps and bounds. At the World Table Tennis Championships at the beginning of this year, the Singaporean women's team reached the final in an unprecedented way, and Li Jiawei also beat Guo Yue of China in the final, which surprised the China team into a cold sweat. Today, Liu leads the Singapore women's table tennis team, realizing Singaporeans' 48-year dream of Olympic medals.
"Little Bole" Liu
On June 5438+05, in the women's team semi-final of the Beijing Olympic Games, two Singaporean sisters, Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu, lost in singles one after another. At the crucial moment, Feng Tianwei, born in 1986, turned the tide and scored two points in a row, which turned the Singapore team's decline. Inviting Feng Tianwei to join the Singapore Women's Group is Liu's masterpiece. Liu said after the game: "I just arrived in Singapore, and I feel that the team is incomplete in terms of staffing and technical and tactical play." Thus, in 2007, Feng Tianwei, who played in the Japanese League, entered Liu's field of vision. Liu said: "Feng Tianwei joined the Singaporean team under my contact."
In Liu's view, one advantage of Feng Tianwei is that she is willing to endure hardships and obey the coach's arrangement. Another advantage is that her right-hand horizontal stroke combined with fast break is technically promising and malleable. In March 2007, Feng Tianwei officially joined the Singapore women's team, which greatly enhanced the strength of the Singapore women's team in the third place. The success of the Singapore women's team in recent years is directly related to Liu's insight.
The brothers only talked about the foreign affairs of table tennis.
Although Liu has now become a legendary foreign coach in Singaporean sports history, the problems of China journalists are always inseparable from his special relationship with Liu. Although living in the Olympic Village, Liu told reporters that since the Beijing Olympic Games, he has no time to get together with his younger brother alone. The two just exchanged greetings by phone.
Liu said that the two brothers usually chat and just want to talk about things other than table tennis. Especially after becoming the coach of Singapore team, the two brothers seldom talk about table tennis. However, there is an exception this time. Liu said: "In this team semi-final draw, the China men's team won the Korean men's team and the Singaporean women's team won the Korean women's team. I have an appointment with Guo Liang to lead our respective teams and play the Korean team. Now, I have fulfilled my promise. "
My brother always listens to his brother.
In fact, although Liu's fame is much greater than his own, Liu has always taken good care of his younger brother. When Liu is a sparring partner in China national women's team, she always takes care of her younger brother during her break. At that time, Liu was in a particularly depressed state at one stage, and his thoughts fluctuated. Liu, who was in a hurry, was anxious to enlighten his younger brother. He kicked a big hole in "Liu's bed" with one foot, only to find out later that this bed belonged to Liu's roommate. In retrospect, Liu said, "He can understand my good intentions in the future." .
Maybe it's the difference in life experience. Liu and Liu are completely different in temperament. Compared with Liu's high spirits when talking with people, Liu is gentle and humble. When the reporter threw out the last question of this interview: "Did your brother give you psychological pressure for so many years?" Liu said calmly, "My brother has never given me pressure." Then, he smiled cunningly: "I am my brother, and my brother has to listen to my brother."