Gao Jun’s character evaluation

Gothenburg, the second largest city in Sweden, has a magnificent city square and a strong cultural environment. In 1993, the 24-year-old female general Gao Jun ended her career as a Chinese national player there with a hard-won women's singles bronze medal in the World Table Tennis Championships, and began a once beautiful but bitter relationship with table tennis across the Pacific.

As one of my country's best pen-hold fast breakers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gao Jun became the first member of the Chinese women's team to enter the semi-finals of the 42nd World Table Tennis Championships. Only the fruits remain. At that World Table Tennis Championships, the usage of the term "overseas corps" reached its peak. Within one day, the world's top two seeds Deng Yaping and Qiao Hong lost to Jing Junhong and Shi Jie, who represented Singapore and Germany respectively. In the semifinals, Gao Jun faced Chen Jing, a former national player who represented Chinese Taipei. Gao Jun could not hit the forehand or push the backhand, and defeated his opponent 0-3. Ever since the women's team finals of the 41st World Table Tennis Championships lost to Xuan Jinghe and Yu Shunfu, the unhurried Gao Jun always gave people the feeling of "just one breath away". Yes, from the bronze medal to the gold medal, two steps away and close to the peak, she marked an incomplete ending for herself.

Actually speaking from my heart, I really like playing table tennis. But after the 1993 World Table Tennis Championships, I said I didn’t want to play anymore. It’s not that I’ve beaten enough, but that the pressure is too much. It’s just that it’s very painful and I can’t enjoy it. I feel annoyed when I see it. At that time, I was still very young and in very good shape. In the 42nd Women's Singles, I was the only one in the top four of the Chinese team. During the semi-finals, I felt like I was in trouble and couldn't bear it anymore. Because the Chinese team lost all, I couldn't bear the pressure at that time. I lost to Chen Jing, I think it was not because I lost technically, but because I lost psychologically. If I beat her, I won't be inferior to Xuanjing and me in the finals. Why did Chen Jing lose to Xuan Jinghe in the final? I think she also lost because of her mentality. In the previous games, she almost won against Xuan Jinghe. When it came to the final, she thought she could win, but she lost 0-3. Of course, she may not be under as much pressure as me, but it is certain that her changes in thinking have directly affected her technical performance.

So, my ball stopped like this for many years, maybe five or six years, and I basically never touched the racket. Moreover, when I went to the United States, I had some thyroid problems. I couldn't exercise. I got flustered when I exercised, and my heartbeat was extremely fast. At that time, my daily life consisted of getting up early to go to work and finishing get off work at that time. Later, I just played ball casually and asked someone on weekends, "Hey, let's go have fun." This was how I came here for almost five or six years. I feel pretty every time after playing. I just think playing is really fun. Then I occasionally participate in small competitions. No one can beat me, but I feel pretty pretty.

The 1999 ITTF Professional Tour England Open was the first time that Gao Jun, who had been retired for many years, appeared as a "member of the US team" in a large-scale competition broadcast on CCTV. Times have changed, and the trendy hairstyle and slightly fatter figure tell people that the Gao Jun in front of them is no longer the national player Gao Jun in the past, but one thing that has not changed is her aura of playing ball and her unassuming unique personality. She reached the semi-finals of that competition, losing to French player Anne Bourget in the semi-finals.

After I officially became a U.S. citizen in 1997, the USA Table Tennis Association kept asking me if I wanted to play for Team USA. I said, why bother fighting? It’s good to just have fun. They advised me, why don’t you play? You see, if you don’t practice, no one in the United States can beat you. I thought at the time, I used to have a goal in playing, but now it’s just for fun. What’s the point of playing without a goal? So I never agreed. By 1999, there was a Pan American Games, which was equivalent to the Asian Games. The USA Table Tennis Association came to mobilize me again, saying that we have never been able to beat Canada. Once you get out of the game, there is hope. If you perform well, you can represent the American team. Playing in the Olympics. The United States has been competing with Canada. Canada has Geng Lijuan, and no one on the American team can beat her. It happened that I beat her in a small competition, and they felt that hope was coming. But at that time, I had not been naturalized for enough years. According to ITTF regulations, I had to obtain the consent of the former Table Tennis Association to participate in the Pan American Games and Olympic Games.

So, people from the US Olympic Committee wrote to the Chinese Table Tennis Association to ask if I could play, and the Chinese Table Tennis Association agreed. Being so kind, I had no choice but to hit her. I really beat Geng Lijuan down. She won the team, and she also won the singles, it seemed like a 3-2 win. I was very happy to write to Jone Ruge of the Chinese Table Tennis Association for me. In fact, he didn’t understand table tennis at all. On the day of the final, he went to watch the game. He had no idea what constituted a win or a loss. The referee turned over the points. He just applauded me. Later, he knew how to watch the game and said, "I'm so nervous. My hands are all sweaty. I've never seen this kind of game."

The Sydney Olympics is Gao Jun walked into the Olympic temple for the second time. In Barcelona in 1992, Gao Jun and "weird golfer" Chen Zihe teamed up to lose to Deng Yaping and Qiao Hong and won the women's doubles silver medal. Eight years later, she has transformed from a professional player into a veritable "two swordsman." In the women's singles group stage, Gao Jun successfully qualified, but in an encounter with South Korean star Ryu Ji-hye, she lost 1-3. Although she lost, Gao Jun felt very satisfied because she had never had any systematic training in the United States, so it was great to win one game against her opponent. But who knows how many unknown hardships and tribulations Gao Jun went through during his trip to Sydney?

After the Pan American Games, people who competed with me on the U.S. team thought I was a big threat, so they jointly filed a lawsuit against me to the United States Olympic Committee. Jone Ruge stood up and testified to me at this time, saying that he wrote a letter to obtain the consent of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. With everyone's help, I won the lawsuit. At that time, I hired Qu Qihui, the most famous Chinese female lawyer in Maryland. She was extremely fluent in Chinese and English. Because she was learning to play ball with me at the time, I was given a large discount on the legal fees, but it still cost nearly US$10,000.

After winning the lawsuit, she helped me write a letter to the US Olympic Committee to apply for compensation. She said this lawsuit was not caused by me. In the end, the US Olympic Committee compensated me all the money. Therefore, I was also under pressure when I was playing games. I thought that the US Olympic Committee was so helpful to me, and I was writing letters and filing lawsuits. If I didn't win, I would be very sorry. This kind of pressure is different from the pressure of playing for the Chinese team. It is another kind of pressure. When I competed in the Pan American Games, I was no longer ranked in the world. After that match, I played the U.S. Open again and beat Chen Jing again. She and Geng Lijuan are ranked very high in the world. After beating them, I suddenly reached 20th in the world ranking. The players who happened to be in the top 20 were automatically selected for the Olympics. I got stuck and went to Sydney. At that time, the China Table Tennis Association also agreed that I should compete in the Olympics. In this regard,? Chen Jing et al. In fact, there is no need for the Chinese Table Tennis Association to say that they disagree. As long as they say: We will act according to the rules of the ITTF, we will not be able to play. I am very grateful to the Chinese Table Tennis Association for this. Unexpectedly, everyone is still addicted to it. I'm also nervous when I play games now. It's impossible not to be nervous because I want to be nervous if I want to win. But it is different from before. In the past, I wanted to win but was afraid of losing. Now I want to win but not afraid of losing. If I lose, I will lose. If I lose, what will happen?

Gao Jun

In early 2001, Gao Jun returned to China with her husband and settled in Shanghai. Soon he appeared in the League A and B. More than a year later, Gao Jun and her husband parted ways. With her love for table tennis and her tenacious personality, she reopened a quiet world on the court and in her life.

We came back from the United States in early 2001. After that, some unpleasant things happened one after another, and we decided to separate. It was the end of 2002. When I first returned to China, I had nothing to do. I once called and chatted with the coach Tang Yinsheng. He said that I would find you an A-B player to play with. I thought to myself, I would just play A-B with this game. I played pretty well. OK In fact, A and B were quite strong in 2001, and Li Xiaoxia was still playing A and B at that time. But I still didn’t have anything to do except playing in A and B. Zhang Xielin said that you should go to school. East China University of Science and Technology has a team. You can recharge your batteries while playing. Director Zhang helped me contact Teacher Zang, majoring in international trade, and she welcomed me. This can be regarded as a turning point. Studying and playing basketball, I am quite adapted to this kind of life.

Representing the United States in the Olympics

Gao Jun, who won the runner-up in women's table tennis doubles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, will return to the Olympics, but this time she is 39 years old Representing Team USA. Regarding the differences between the two competitions, Gao Jun said: "I think the two competitions feel the same. They are all just to get good results." Representing the US team

Gao Jun has a deep impression of Beijing. It said it was very beautiful there and the people there were very welcoming. Gao Jun started his table tennis career when he was five years old and entered a sports school when he was nine. Because he was still very short at the time, the coach had to dig a few holes in the ground and put the table legs in. Gao Jun said: "We We study and train in the morning, do our homework after lunch, and then train again. At that time, we had no time to do anything else.” Gao Jun said that he missed home at that time, but he gradually got used to it after a week. It helps a lot with children’s growth, and they can improve their level through competition,” Gao Jun said.

After winning the Olympic silver medal, she left her medal to her parents. She married an American in Las Vegas in 1994. Gao Jun said: "For me, It was a difficult decision. Without table tennis, I feel like I have lost something." In 2002, Gao Jun divorced, but in Athens in 2004, Gao Jun became the first American to win a game in the Olympics. . Gao Jun said: “I used to be very tired, but after a few years I started to miss table tennis. After I quit, I asked myself, ‘Why can’t I enjoy this sport? "After Athens, I once said that it was my last Olympics, but the Olympics are in Beijing, and I still want to continue to participate. However, I think this is my last time to participate in the Olympics."

Currently high Jun is training at Shanghai University. Regarding his goal for the Beijing Olympics, Gao Jun said: "I hope to win a medal, but it is indeed difficult. China has the best players in the world. No one can beat them. Although I play with speed, But there is no spin, while Chinese players have both. Their skills are too comprehensive.”

However, Gao Jun will not give up. She said: “My coach told me not to give up. If you want to have your own future, you must win the game. I won the game in Shanghai in 2005 without mercy."

Gao Jun and Zhang Yining

Zhang Yining did not play in the game on the evening of February 26, 2008, but before the game she and U.S. team member Gao Jun made a mysterious gesture that aroused the curiosity of the media present: they had a brief exchange and then walked to the mixed interview area. , made a "Li Ning" brand gesture together to form a "heart", and then the two changed from friends to rivals, and Gao Jun participated in the intense competition. This mysterious gesture got the answer from Zhang Yining after the game: "Gao Jun is my senior sister. Recently we know that the American team and we are wearing the same Chinese brand clothing for the game, and everyone is talking about it these days. U.S. Ping Pong Diplomacy: Seeing familiar faces like Gao Jun and Wang Chen in the arena gave me a special sense of intimacy. When we met Gao Jun just now, we made a few jokes, and then suddenly thought of making a funny gesture to everyone. Say hello, and then there was that move."

In the evening's confrontation between China and the United States, Gao Jun, the leader of the American team, was the first to play against Wang Nan, the oldest player in the Chinese team. Wang Nan started off very smoothly, while Gao Jun struggled to get into the groove. Wang Nan controlled the situation in two consecutive games and won 3-0 quickly. Subsequently, Guo Yue and Guo Yan also defeated Wang Chen and Li Nan 3-0 in three games, winning the fourth victory of the Chinese women's team.