Text: Zhiwei
Pioneer Valley
Wei Qingguang's name is well-known in the table tennis world.
In only 3 years with the national team, he won 8 gold medals.
He was the first world champion of the national table tennis team.
He is also the most promising "strong general" in the Chinese table tennis industry.
However, no one could have imagined that he would go to Japan in the second year of his retirement.
After living in Japan for 7 years, he simply became a Japanese citizen.
Talents cultivated by China to replace Japan on the court?
Subsequently, he defeated Liu Guoliang in the Olympic Games.
"Trample under the feet" of national honor.
And Wei Qingguang also bears the infamy of "recognizing a thief as a father".
But the more shocking thing is actually yet to come.
After becoming famous in Japan, Wei Qingguang chose to return to China for retirement.
Today, he runs a table tennis equipment store in his hometown.
The changes in the first half of his life seem to have "disappeared".
But the Chinese people who have been ruthlessly crushed have not forgotten the shame of the past.
Some people say that he is "returning to his roots", and some people say that he wants to come back to "make money".
So what is he trying to do? Why did you become a Japanese citizen in the first place?
What's the inside story? Wei Qingguang's "wishful thinking" has long been seen through by the state.
Misdiagnosed teenager, world champion
Back in 1968, China's first world table tennis champion was born in the world.
And his talent was also destined at the moment of birth.
He has been practicing table tennis since he was a child, and entered an amateur sports school at the age of 8.
The small figure shuttles between the tables, sweating and talent.
At the age of 10, he got his wish and entered the Guangxi Sports Team to receive more professional training.
But fate seems to have played a joke on him.
He's improving in training and he's ready to show what he's capable of on a bigger stage.
was found to have hepatitis and had to leave the physical team.
has outstanding ability but was forced to leave, as if a thunderbolt slashed at Wei Qingguang on a sunny day.
For a teenager who regards table tennis as his life, this is undoubtedly a devastating blow.
What surprised the family even more was that the result of hepatitis was misdiagnosed?
Hurriedly found the physical work team, Wei Qingguang wanted to join it again.
But I didn't expect the team to recognize this physical examination report.
Wei Qingguang, who was unaccepted, seemed to have to give up his table tennis dream.
But he was full of unwillingness, but he found another way out.
With the support and encouragement of his parents, Wei Qingguang entered an amateur sports school.
Bravely and strongly, he continued his table tennis path.
There is no professional venue, no coaching.
He practiced silently by himself, day after day, year after year.
Finally knocked on the door of the Guangxi provincial team again.
Finally, at the age of 23, he was selected by the national team.
For many athletes, 23 years old is already an "older" player.
But Wei Qingguang relied on his excellent strength to refresh his life at an older age.
When he first entered the national team, Wei Qingguang was not less left out.
At that time, the first floor of the training hall was full of main players, and various resources were given priority.
An "elderly player" like him was directly "assigned" to the third floor and practiced alone.
There is no way, the national team recognizes one thing:
Strength! If you don't have that ability, who cares how old you are or what your background is?
During that time, it was very painful for Wei Qingguang.
No one pays attention, no one recognizes, and in addition to boring training every day, it is to compete with yourself.
Fortunately, he has been accustomed to "fighting alone" since he was a child.
However, the national team is not a provincial team, and the competition here is a "fairy fight".
National? There's a lot of grabbing here, and someone has taken several!
Wei Qingguang's original superior strength does not have an advantage in the national team.
But he was stunned to resist the pressure and hold back his strength.
Throw yourself in the training gym every day and sweat like rain.
Opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared.
Wei Qingguang, who is improving his strength every day, has also ushered in a change.
In 1986, the Asian Table Tennis Championships gathered with masters and fierce competition.
The 24-year-old Wei Qingguang withstood huge pressure and won the men's singles championship in one fell swoop!
In just one table tennis tournament, Wei Qingguang won 3 championships.
Since then, he has become the pillar of the national team and has also started his path to world championship.
The Seoul Olympics are the pinnacle of glory
Seoul in 1988 is destined to be an extraordinary year for Wei Qingguang.
It was his first Olympic appearance, and the closest he came to his dream.
At that time, Chinese table tennis was in a relatively low period.
In the men's singles, the Chinese team failed to continue its previous glory.
The No. 1 seed made it to the quarter-finals, and all eyes were on the men's doubles event.
Success or failure is in this move, Wei Qingguang and Chen Longcan played under high pressure.
Wei Qingguang and Chen Longcan, the two are just temporary partners.
But it carries the expectations of the Chinese people and shoulders huge pressure.
Along the way, he passed the test and finally stood on the stage of the finals.
The opponents in the final were strong European pairs.
The course of the game was extremely intense, and the scores of both sides rose alternately.
Every point is exciting, and the audience's hearts are also tightly gripped.
At the critical moment, Wei Qingguang and Chen Longcan turned pressure into motivation.
With tacit cooperation and superb ball skills, he finally defeated his opponent.
For the first time, the Chinese team won the Olympic table tennis men's doubles championship!
At that moment, the whole arena was boiling.
The five-star red flag was rising, and the majestic national anthem resounded in the sky.
Wei Qingguang and Chen Longcan hugged each other tightly, their eyes full of excited tears.
This is their glorious moment, and it is also the glorious moment of Chinese table tennis!
But the cruelty of competitive sport is that it never rests in its past glory.
28 years old may be the best age for life for ordinary people.
But for table tennis, which requires extremely high reaction speed and physical fitness, it is already "old".
Injuries and the decline in form, as well as the impact of young domestic players.
All kinds of persecution made Wei Qingguang start to think about his future.
In less than two years, Wei Qingguang has been unable to keep his championship position.
Finally, after the Beijing Asian Games, Wei Qingguang made a rational but difficult decision.
28-year-old Wei Qingguang chose to retire completely after 5 years in the national team.
Leaving the arena he loved, Wei Qingguang did not choose a comfortable life.
He actually chose to go to Japan and change his identity to become an "adversary" of the country.
Is it because of forgetting the roots? Or is there another inside story in it?
Perhaps even he didn't expect that this choice would completely change the trajectory of his life.
It will also push the former world champion to another cusp.
Crossing to Japan and continuing the frontier
At that time, Japanese table tennis was on the rise.
They are hungry to achieve better results on the international stage.
It is also hoped that the sluggish situation of Japanese table tennis will be changed by introducing more talents.
And Wei Qingguang, who retired from the national team, received an olive branch from Japan.
At that time, in the face of the invitation of the Japanese table tennis world, Wei Qingguang was also very hesitant.
On the one hand, his love for table tennis has never waned, and he is eager to stand on the field again and prove himself.
On the other hand, he also knows what it means to represent Japan, which can be a huge pressure and challenge.
However, in the end, the love of table tennis finally overcame the concerns in my heart.
In 1997, he became a Japanese citizen and represented the Japanese team on the international stage.
When the news came back to China, there was an uproar.
Many people couldn't understand his choice, and there were endless insults and doubts.
The former "national hero" became a "traitor" and a "traitor" overnight.
In the face of all this, Wei Qingguang chose to remain silent.
Any explanation pales in comparison, and only on the field can you prove yourself.
He threw himself into training and turned all the pressure and doubts into motivation to move forward.
And his silence soon paid off on the field.
In Japan, Wei Qingguang became the leader of the table tennis team without much effort.
He also brought advanced training concepts and combat tactics to the Japanese table tennis team.
It has also cultivated a group of outstanding young players.
Among them were Hayabusa Mizutani and Mimato Ito, who later won mixed doubles gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
It can be said that Wei Qingguang has become one of the founders of the rise of table tennis in Japan.
When he first joined the Japanese team, his relationship with the Chinese players was still the same as usual.
Because in each other's hearts, everyone is fighting for that dream in their hearts.
It's just that the way is different, and they still have the original intention of loving table tennis.
But at the 1998 Asian Championships, the relationship between the two sides was no longer pure.
In the 1998 Asian Championships, Wei Qingguang met his former teammate Liu Guoliang.
The two are no longer brothers, but stand in the position of opponents.
And Wei Qingguang's strength did not decrease at the beginning, and he directly defeated Liu Guoliang to win the championship.
This victory made his position in the Japanese table tennis arena more solid.
But it also put him under more pressure and criticism at home.
The name of "traitor" can be regarded as completely confirmed.
Some excited netizens even think that he is recognizing the thief as his father.
However, although the attitude towards him at home is not good.
However, the Japanese side treated him like a "god".
Because he really improved the strength of Japanese table tennis and allowed them to have a longer development.
In 2007, Wei Qingguang officially announced his retirement, ending his legendary career.
They all thought that he would stay in Japan and continue to live, after all, he had become the face of Japanese table tennis.
No one expected that he would choose to quietly return to China.
Could it be that after the glory of Japan, now I want to return to China for retirement?
In fact, after Wei Qingguang went abroad, his wife opened a sports mall in his hometown.
And after Wei Qingguang retired, the sports mall became the last livelihood of the husband and wife.
But due to past experience and deliberate exaggeration by the media.
As a result, many people think that he wants to return to China in his later years to make money and earn money from the Chinese.
In fact, regarding Wei Qingguang's controversy, the state has already responded.
"Sino-Japanese table tennis exchange envoy" is enough to prove his status.
seems to be treacherous and admits the thief as his father, but in fact it is for table tennis communication.
Today's sports mall may be his last love and dedication to table tennis.
Or maybe it's his last attachment and longing for his hometown.
In response to the doubts of the outside world, neither husband and wife chose to explain anything.
I'm afraid that outsiders won't believe some things even if they are explained, so what are they doing in vain?
epilogue
From an unknown dreamer to a much-anticipated world champion.
and then went to Japan to pursue his dream, in fact, the road he has traveled is much more difficult than we imagined.
In the face of all kinds of doubts and incomprehension, he has always remained silent.
Perhaps for him, table tennis is the only love and pursuit in his life.
As for the evaluation of the outside world, those rights and wrongs have long been left behind by him.
Whether on or off the stage, he is just an ordinary person who loves table tennis.
Some references:
"CCTV Report"|Wei Qingguang and Chen Longcan won the championship
"Tencent Video"|Wei Qingguang's interview materials
"CCTV Sports"|Japanese coach Wei Qingguang interviewed
"Baidu Encyclopedia"|Wei Qingguang's award record