The Chinese badminton team is at an unprecedented low point, with low morale and chaotic performances, which does not look like a competitive team at all. At this critical moment, 33-year-old Li Yongbo was ordered to take over this hot potato.
In the face of everyone's doubts, Li Yongbo frowned, but his eyes revealed firm determination.
After taking over, Li Yongbo had an in-depth understanding of the team's situation and looked for problems. He developed a comprehensive plan for the whole team and adopted different teaching methods according to the characteristics of each team member.
Li Yongbo's training method is even harsh, so he won the title of "Devil Coach", he requires the players to train hard every day, a practice is more than ten hours, the athletes' jerseys are soaked with sweat, and Li Yongbo stands on the sidelines, his eyes are like torches, not letting go of any details.
In 1995, the Chinese badminton team played in the Sudirman Cup for the first time after the implementation of reforms, and Li Yongbo was also a little apprehensive. After all, the performance of the Chinese badminton team in previous years has been highly praised in the industry, and the expectations of the outside world are high, which causes him to shoulder a lot of pressure.
Despite this, he still did not give up, and after two years of hard work, the Chinese badminton team led by him completed a thorough reform and rejuvenated itself.
Since then, under the leadership of Li Yongbo, the Chinese badminton team has become invincible in the international arena. They constantly challenge themselves and show strong strength and style. In that era of masters, the Chinese badminton team stood out under the leadership of Li Yongbo and successfully reached the top of the world.
During his 24-year coaching career, Professor Li Yongbo has cultivated a full 92 world champions, including Lin Dan, Zhang Ning, Wang Yihan and other superstars. When his disciples stood on the podium, Li Yongbo always stood silently on the sidelines, tears of relief flashing in his eyes.
His contribution to the cause of Chinese badminton is unparalleled.
Under Li Yongbo's leadership, the Chinese badminton team won the Sudirman Cup, won gold medals at three World Badminton Championships, and more encouragingly, he also managed to bring the Uber Cup back to China, ending a four-year hiatus.
Li Yongbo proved his coaching ability with practical actions, and also laid a solid foundation for the development of Chinese badminton.
However, Li Yongbo's coaching career has not been smooth sailing, and he has encountered several major controversies behind his glory. In March 1998, an unexpected storm broke Li Yongbo's calm.
Unexpectedly, the coach and players of the team jointly reported him, accusing him of embezzling game bonuses and embezzlement of public funds.
In 2011, tennis star Li Na had just made a major breakthrough and became Asia's first Grand Slam champion in a top-level tournament, but she was caught in the whirlpool of public opinion. The reason is that Li Yongbo, who was the head coach of the Chinese badminton team at the time, said in an interview: "Li Na still has a lot of potential! She firmly believes that only on the Olympic stage can she truly show her strength and value! The remarks caused an uproar online, with many fans believing that Li Yongbo had intentionally or unintentionally belittled Li Na's brilliant achievements.
In the face of overwhelming criticism, Li Yongbo seemed a little caught off guard, his expression was complicated, and his eyes showed confusion and helplessnessFinally, Li Yongbo issued a statement on social media, expressing his apologies, saying that he was sincerely happy for Li Na's achievement.
However, during the 2012 London Olympics, the worst of the turmoil was particularly striking. In a women's doubles match, world No. 1 Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli of China took on world No. 8 Korea's Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha Na.
In the game, Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli performed abnormally, either out of bounds or under the net, their performance did not reach the level of the world's top players at all, this result attracted the attention of the International Badminton Federation, and in the end, Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli were deprived of the qualification to participate in the London Olympics.
This incident caused huge repercussions at home and abroad. The audience was very dissatisfied with the athletes' negative competition behavior, especially after the Li Na incident, Li Yongbo's handling as the head coach made netizens express their dissatisfaction and complaints.
Under the questioning of the media, Li Yongbo looked exhausted, he resolutely said that he was not aware of the situation of "handicaping", thinking that everyone was going all out in the game, but this explanation did not calm the anger of the fans, and many people questioned: As the head coach of the badminton team, how can he know nothing about such a thing?
From these controversial events, Li Yongbo has been under tremendous pressure. Every time he faces the camera, there is a trace of exhaustion and helplessness in his eyes, as if every word tells his troubles and frustrations.
However, he is a strong man who chose to endure silently and continue to fight for the cause of Chinese badminton Despite this, these incidents have affected the public's evaluation of Li Yongbo to a certain extent, and also cast a shadow on his brilliant coaching career.
On April 27, 2017, Li Yongbo stood on the podium of the press conference with mixed feelings and announced his resignation as coach of the national team. His voice was slightly hoarse, and his eyes showed reluctance and relief. The 24-year coaching career, like a long marathon, has finally come to an end.
This decision may have stemmed from years of controversy and pressure, and Li Yongbo chose to withdraw, hoping to calm all the trouble.
Li Yongbo's departure had a profound impact on the national team. After his resignation, the first match of the Chinese badminton team was clearly different. Only the women's doubles and mixed doubles events maintained their top spot in the world, while the results in the other events declined.
This change makes people sigh that Li Yongbo's departure seems to have made the national team lose its backbone.
What is even more impressive is that Li Yongbo has just bid farewell to the sports world, and the high-profile Lin Dan has announced his retirement. Lin Dan is Li Yongbo's protégé and one of the world champions led by Li Yongbo, and his retirement seems to mean the end of an era.
Those glorious years, those days of fighting in all directions under the leadership of Li Yongbo, have become precious memories.
Looking at the once familiar arena through the TV screen, Li Yongbo had mixed feelings in his heart. He devoted his life to cultivating the national team, and now he can only watch silently from the sidelines, but he firmly believes that the elite athletes he has cultivated will continue to contribute to the cause of Chinese badminton.
Netizens have expressed their nostalgia for Li Yongbo's era on social media, and expressed deep memories of those glorious victories and exciting moments. Some people began to speculate about what Chinese badminton would have been like if Li Yongbo hadn't left. Although this question may never be answered, it reveals the recognition of Li Yongbo's outstanding contributions to the field of badminton.
Li Yongbo looked at these messages, and a relieved smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Despite his departure from the national team, his love for badminton has never diminished. He knows that the players he has cultivated will continue to write new legends on the badminton court.
And he is ready to start a new chapter in his life and meet the new life after retirement.
After retiring, Li Yongbo made a decision that surprised everyone: to go to Malaysia to grow durian. This choice was unexpected, and no one could have imagined that this gold medal coach, who had made great achievements in the badminton business war, would choose such an ordinary retirement life.
Li Yongbo developed a strong interest in durian, and it is said that he stumbled upon a business opportunity in durian while visiting relatives and friends. Because he loves the taste of durian, he decided to invest in growing this delicious fruit in Malaysia.
Li Yongbo studied every detail of durian planting as if he were studying the tactics of his opponents, from site selection to planting techniques, and he personally worked on the hands that used to wield badminton rackets, and now he holds gardening tools, looking a little clumsy but full of energy.
Li Yongbo is in the orchard in Malaysia, slowing down the pace of life and enjoying leisurely time. Instead of facing intense competitions and heavy training, he can instead observe the idyllic life of fruit trees and pruning branches.
His wife and children also came to him, and the family was happy Some netizens revealed that Li Yongbo and his family now live a comfortable idyllic life in Malaysia and look very happy.
Lush durian trees surround Li Yongbo, and his face is filled with a smile of satisfaction. This orchard carries his expectations and love for his new life. Despite leaving the badminton court, he still maintains the routine of an athlete, jogging in the orchard every morning to keep his body active.
Li Yongbo is 61 years old, but he still loves life, is full of expectations for the future, and maintains the spirit of exploring new things. Whether it's on the badminton court or in the orchard, he lives every day to the fullest.
Although Li Yongbo has now transformed into a "fruit farmer", his heart is still full of love and nostalgia for badminton. This sentiment may accompany him for the rest of his life and become an indispensable part of his retirement life.
Although Li Yongbo has long since retired, his love for badminton has not diminished at all. At the Beijing 3V3 Badminton Finals in November 2023, his appearance caused enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
This appearance surprised everyone, and also showed Li Yongbo's love for the motherland's badminton career, and he has always been concerned about it, standing on the side of the familiar court, Li Yongbo's eyes flashed with nostalgia, as if returning to his coaching years.
In December of the same year, Li Yongbo participated in the "Into the Campus" event, which was part of the China-ASEAN International Badminton Open. He is passionate about teaching badminton to his students, and in the face of these younger generations, Li Yongbo continues his radiant side.
At the same time, he also firmly believes that the future of Chinese badminton lies in the next generation, so he deliberately took time out to participate in this event, hoping to have more contact with children and pass on his own experience.
At the event, Li Yongbo personally demonstrated the movements, and his familiar posture seemed to bring people back to his golden years of coaching. His eyes are full of love and expectation for badminton, and he believes that he can continue to shine in the badminton world.
Li Yongbo's amiable attitude and patience in answering students' questions showed the demeanor of an experienced coach.
Li Yongbo said that although he is mainly engaged in durian cultivation now, he will actively participate in badminton-related activities whenever he has the opportunity. He hopes to teach his experience to the younger generation and continue to contribute to the development of badminton in China.
This continuous attention and dedication to the badminton business is enough to reflect his deep love for the sport.
Looking at the curious eyes of the children, Li Yongbo seemed to see the future of Chinese badminton. He firmly believes that only by nurturing the next generation can Chinese badminton continue to be brilliant. Although Li Yongbo has retired, he is still contributing to the cause of Chinese badminton in his own way.
Although the 61-year-old Li Yongbo has retired from the spotlight, his name still flashes frequently in people's discussions. The public's evaluation of him has also been mixed, with some believing that he is a good coach and others questioning his controversial incident.
Many netizens believe that Li Yongbo has done a good job in the management and training of the national team, although some of his practices are often controversial. They agreed that Li Yongbo's contribution to the national team was unparalleled, and under his leadership, the Chinese badminton team excelled on the global stage, winning not only the Sudirman Cup, but also three gold medals at the World Championships.
Even more amazingly, he managed to bring Uber back to China, ending a four-year hiatus.
However, Li Yongbo's coaching career has not been smooth sailing, and it has also been accompanied by many controversies. From being accused of embezzling prize money in 1998, to comments on Li Na in 2011, to the "intentional loss" incident at the 2012 London Olympics, these controversial events have put Li Yongbo under a lot of pressure and doubts.
Some netizens are still haunted by these incidents, believing that these controversies have affected Mr. Lee's reputation to a certain extent.
Li Yongbo has always kept a low profile about these evaluations. He once said in an interview that he was just doing what a coach should do. Those honors and controversies are a thing of the past.
Now, he is more willing to focus on his current life and enjoy the fun of growing durian.
Despite some controversy, most people believe that Li Yongbo has made a huge contribution to the cause of Chinese badminton. He has led the Chinese team to achieve great results in the international arena and has cultivated a large number of world-class players.
Many netizens said that if Li Yongbo was still around, Chinese badminton might have a different development trajectory.
Li Yongbo's story is not only a legend of a successful coach, but also a microcosm of an ordinary person pursuing his dreams at different stages of life. Whether it's training world champions on the badminton court or growing durians in a foreign country, he interprets the meaning of life in his own way.
His experience tells us that even in the face of controversy and doubt, as long as we are firm in our beliefs, we will be able to shine at all stages of life.