In 1962, Cao Yanhua was born in an ordinary family in Shanghai. Her parents are both table tennis enthusiasts, and this love for table tennis deeply influenced the young Cao Yanhua. Whenever her father took her and her sister to play table tennis, Xiao Yanhua always obediently followed her sister to pick up the ball, and developed a strong interest in this sport.
When Cao Yanhua was five years old, her father began to carefully teach her to play table tennis, and she was very talented and soon made a name for herself among her peers. In order to allow his daughter to receive more professional training, Cao's father saved money and sent her to the Shanghai Hongkou District Junior Sports School to study with coach Wang Lianfang.
Under the guidance of Coach Wang, Cao Yanhua's skills have improved by leaps and bounds.
In 1975, Cao Yanhua, who was only 13 years old, made a name for herself in the adult group of the Shanghai Table Tennis Championships and performed well. Most of the opponents she faced were much older than her, but Cao Yanhua was undaunted and bravely faced the challenge.
In the duel with Gu Zhijuan, who won the Shanghai Women's Table Tennis Championship, Cao Yanhua defeated her opponent with an amazing score of 3:1 and won the championship in one fell swoop.
After Cao Yanhua joined the Shanghai team, she was like a hungry seeker of knowledge, devoting herself to learning and making every effort to improve her strength. Her outstanding performance attracted the attention of table tennis giants Li Furong and Xu Yinsheng.
In 1977, Cao Yanhua entered the national team for a training camp, and only a month later was sent to Europe to compete in Scandinavia.
Although it was Cao's first time competing in an international competition, her performance surprised everyone. She won the Scandinavian race against a number of strong competitors, becoming the youngest winner in history.
Such an achievement allowed her to become a member of the national team and start her illustrious career.
In 1978, Cao Yanhua participated in the Scandinavian competition for the second time, and teamed up with teammate Tong Ling to successfully defeat the Chinese first team in the team competition and won the gold medal. In the Asian Championships held in the same year, she won the singles championship by defeating other teammates and seniors by a clear advantage.
From an ordinary Shanghai girl to a high-profile rising star on the international stage, Cao Yanhua has achieved an amazing and gorgeous transformation in just a few years with her own hard work and talent.
Her rise is not only a personal honor, but also a demonstration of the powerful power of the new generation of Chinese table tennis However, this is only the prelude to Cao Yanhua's glorious chapter, and more challenges and glory are still waiting for her.
In 1979, at the age of 17, Cao Yanhua ushered in one of the great victories of her career. At the 35th World Championships in North Korea, she worked well with her team to win the women's team title, the first world title of her career.
Subsequently, she not only proved her strength, but also emerged in the world table tennis arena.
However, the road to success is never easy. In the 1979 National Games, Cao Yanhua performed poorly and missed the championship. The defeat caused her to be questioned a lot, and some even suggested that she be transferred out of the national team.
Fortunately, table tennis giant Xu Yinsheng is still optimistic about her potential and has kept her in the national team against public opinion.
This setback made Cao Yanhua realize that pride and complacency are not advisable, and only by being down-to-earth can we achieve something. Under the guidance of the new coach Zhou Lansun, she studied hard, adjusted her mentality, and innovated a unique "women's straight board full Taiwan pull, fast combination" style of play, as well as backhand high throw serve, change board rubbing, change board serve and other stunts.
However, a sudden illness in 1980 almost destroyed Cao's career. She was diagnosed with hepatitis B and was at risk of being returned to her place of origin. Luckily, her condition was not very serious, and she was able to stay with the team to train and compete.
This experience made Cao Yanhua cherish every opportunity to stand on the ring even more.
Cao Yanhua, the former famous player of the Chinese women's table tennis team, has become a legend in the history of Chinese sports with her unique personality. She smokes and drinks all day long, and although her table tennis team emphasizes strict team rules, she still often goes her own way.
What's even more surprising is that Cao Yanhua actually fell in love with Shi Zhihao in the regulations that strictly prohibited him from falling in love with male table tennis players at that time, which caused quite a stir in the Chinese sports world at that time.
Cao Yanhua's rebellious personality has brought her a lot of trouble. In 1981, in the women's singles final of the World Table Tennis Championships, although she had the ability to defeat her opponent Tong Ling, the team asked her to take the initiative to give up the championship.
Cao Yanhua could only endure the grievances and played a "match-fixing", this experience hit her hard, but it also inspired her to have a stronger fighting spirit.
At the later National Games, Cao Yanhua finally got the opportunity to prove himself. She faced Tong Ling again, this time she no longer retained her strength, and defeated Tong Ling in four events in a row, including women's team, women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles, proving her true strength with her strength.
Since 1980, Cao Yanhua has entered the peak of his career. She has achieved outstanding results in various international competitions, whether it is the Asian Championships or the World Championships, whether it is an individual or team competition, she has won the championship with an absolute advantage.
In her career, she has won a total of an astonishing 59 gold medals, becoming a well-deserved "Queen of Table Tennis".
Cao's success is not accidental, but her perseverance and love for table tennis in the face of many challenges. Her story is not only a record of her career, but also an inspirational legend of how we can grow and break through in the face of adversity.
At the 1985 World Championships, Cao Yanhua successfully shaped her image of strength, winning two championships in women's singles and mixed doubles. However, just when people were looking forward to her achievements and the brilliance she was about to create in the field, the 23-year-old Cao Yanhua made a shocking decision to announce her retirement.
This decision surprised and regretted many people, but for Cao Yanhua, it was her choice after careful consideration. She hopes to be able to try other possibilities in life and start a new chapter in her life.
In May 1986, the second year of Cao Yanhua's marriage to her long-time boyfriend Shi Zhihao, Shi Zhihao decided to teach at a table tennis club in Germany. And Cao Yanhua did not hesitate, and followed her husband to a foreign country without hesitation.
While living in Germany, Cao Yanhua experienced major life changes. She went from being a high-profile world champion to an ordinary housewife. In a foreign land, she gave birth to a son, named Shi Jersey.
In order to take care of her children, she once devoted herself to family life.
However, table tennis has always been an integral part of Cao Yanhua's life. In 1995, after living in Germany for nine years, Cao Yanhua and her husband Shi Zhihao returned to their familiar Shanghai with their children.
However, after returning to China, Cao Yanhua did not choose a comfortable lifestyle, she longed to be able to contribute to China's table tennis career.
The year after returning to China in 1996, Cao Yanhua made a major decision - to establish the "Cao Yanhua Table Tennis School" in her name. The establishment of this school marked an important turning point in Cao Yanhua's career.
She is no longer an athlete who stands on the field and fights, but has become an educator who cultivates the next generation of table tennis talents.
Cao Yanhua invested a lot of effort in the establishment of this school, and did not hesitate to give everything she had, and even sold the wedding house and invested all the proceeds in running the school. Her dedication to the table tennis industry fully reveals her deep love and unwavering determination.
From world champion to entrepreneur, Cao Yanhua uses her personal experience to illustrate what the spirit of never giving up is. Her story tells us that retirement is not the end of life, but the beginning of a new chapter.
In 1999, Cao Yanhua's life ushered in another major turning point. Due to reasons such as less gathering and more separation, personality differences, etc., her relationship with her first husband Shi Zhihao gradually cooled, and the two finally chose to divorce.
In order to take care of the elderly and children at home, they adopted the method of "divorce without leaving home", and lived together for another 3 years until Cao Yanhua's in-laws learned the news of the divorce, and this special living arrangement finally ended.
The divorce was a painful blow to Cao Yanhua, but she chose to face it strongly and devoted herself to the operation of the table tennis school. Cao Yanhua adheres to the concept of "teaching without class", whether it is a professional table tennis player, a child with imperfect intelligence, or even an elderly person, as long as they have the desire to learn, she will do her best to teach.
Under Cao Yanhua's careful cultivation, her school has cultivated many excellent table tennis players. Among them, the most well-known is Xu Xin, who later became a top player in the Chinese table tennis world.
Cao Yanhua's teaching achievements are not only reflected in the competitive level, but more importantly, she has passed on her love for table tennis and perseverance to every student.
While focusing on the development of her career, Cao Yanhua's private life has gradually taken a turn for the better. At first, she was reluctant to start a new relationship, mainly because she was worried that it would cause harm and distress to her children.
It wasn't until the child gradually grew up, understood the hardships borne by her mother, and took the initiative to persuade her to find new support, that Cao Yanhua reopened her heart.
Fate favored this resilient woman. Cao Yanhua met her husband again, an athlete who used to be active in the badminton arena. This man is not only handsome and tall, but also has a very gentle personality.
The two soon fell in love and began a new married life.
This time, Cao Yanhua's married life is very different from before, and she successfully reaped true happiness. Her husband cherishes her like a treasure, and his meticulous care and care for her makes Cao Yanhua truly feel the taste of being pampered.
Nourished by the new marriage, Cao Yanhua has radiated a new brilliance in her career and life.
Today's Cao Yanhua has achieved fruitful results in his career, and his disciples are all over the world. In life, she lived happily ever after, always with a happy smile on her face. The "Queen of Table Tennis", who used to dominate on the court, is still living a wonderful life in the second half of her life.
Her story tells us that no matter what kind of difficulties we encounter, as long as we maintain a strong and positive attitude, we will be able to usher in the spring of life.
Time flies, and Cao Yanhua, the "Queen of Table Tennis" who used to be proud in the table tennis arena, has now entered the year of the sixtieth year. However, time seems to favor the legendary athlete extraordinarily.
62-year-old Cao Yanhua still maintains an elegant posture, without the slightest sign of age, her eyes still flash with love for table tennis and expectations for the future.
After retiring for many years, Cao Yanhua did not choose a hedonistic retirement life, but continued to fight for the table tennis career she loved. She still serves as the principal of the table tennis school she founded, and is committed to cultivating new talents for the Chinese table tennis world.
Cao Yanhua unreservedly imparts the experience and wisdom accumulated over the years to the next generation, cultivating every student with heart, hoping to contribute to the development of Chinese table tennis.
In addition to her busy work, Cao Yanhua enjoys the sweet life with her second husband. They support each other and face all the tastes of life together. This hard-won happiness made Cao Yanhua live more calmly and happily in the second half of her life.
Her face is always filled with a happy smile, as if she has returned to the high-spirited girl who stood on the podium back then.
Looking back, the rebellious and unruly girl who never left her with cigarettes and alcohol has now transformed into a mature, stable and wise elder. However, the love for table tennis and the spirit of pursuing excellence in her bones have never changed.
This kind of persistence and love is the driving force that supports her to continue to shine in the field of table tennis after retiring.
Cao Yanhua's life story is not only a legend in the field of sports, but also an inspirational story about how to shine at different stages of life. Whether it is a champion on the field, a mentor in school, or a happy wife in life, Cao Yanhua has used her own experience to explain what a real winner in life is.
Her saga continues, and her story will forever inspire those who come after her.