China’s “New Generation” of Olympic Champions

THERE is nothing shy about China’s new generation of Olympic sportsmen. Born almost exclusively in the 1980s, the athletically gifted young men and women who will represent China at the 2008 Games are far more willing to open up to the public than their predecessors, and like 20-somethings everywhere, they are at home on the Internet, managing their own fan blogs and communicating with their peers online. Their uninhibited self-expression has attracted the attention of commercial advertisers, and occasionally some less welcome interest, and they are celebrated as China’s “new generation” in sports circles, ready to take center stage in August before a world audience.

“Mr. Cool” Lin Dan

Born in 1983, Lin Dan is China’s Olympic male badminton player, and a leading champion in the men’s singles competition. Before the 2004 Athens Olympics, he successively won five open tournament championships, and awestruck admirers in international badminton circles dubbed him “Super Dan.” He did less well at the 2004 Games, suffering elimination in the first round of the men’s singles, but is now readier than ever to win gold in Beijing. In 2006, Lin took first place in the men’s singles at the World Badminton Championships, a title he retained the following year. This Olympic year, Lin is regarded as China’s best hope for a first-place showing in the men’s singles.

Like his remarkable successes in badminton, Lin’s personality is equally impressive. He began his athletic career representing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) when he was just 12 years old. Following a victory, which happens often, he is in the habit of throwing his racket in the air, going down on his knees and shouting a victory cry, then standing up and saluting the cheering audience. Asked about it, he said that saluting was not merely a habit he learned in the army, but was also a matter of duty and obligation as a serviceman, although it is actually rare for a PLA athlete to celebrate by saluting.

Off court, Lin Dan is a typical “Mr. Cool.” He wears his short hair in a stylish cut, dresses in Armani and D&G, and would not look out of place in any of Beijing’s fashionable nightclubs. Unlike most male players, Lin speaks candidly about his fondness for shopping. During his spare time while traveling abroad for competitions, he enjoys buying brand name clothes, even though he is able to wear them only on weekends. To compensate, he takes scissors to the T-shirts he wears for daily training, fashioning them into various styles, such as V-neck, T-neck and sleeveless, to distinguish them from ordinary ones.

“As a player, I want to create my own unique style. I hope audiences will remember not just my achievements, but also my personal style,” Lin said, explaining that his ideal was to “strive during competition, but relax in daily life.”

Lin’s outstanding performance in competition and his “cool” image have earned him millions of fans, and he has favorably impressed advertisers, who are always scouting around for a new look. In 2007, he became one of China’s top 10 sports personalities ranked by the number of online searches made by Chinese Netizens, alongside other superstars like basketball player Yao Ming and hurdler Liu Xiang. As the most popular badminton player in China, Lin has appeared in advertisements for multinationals like FedEx, Pepsi and KFC. “Lin Dan is likely to become another Tiger Woods, popularizing badminton beyond its traditional audience,” said the head of a sports marketing company in Shanghai.

While Lin’s proud and relentless character has made him famous, it has also brought him his share of trouble. During a January 2008 open tournament in the Republic of Korea, for example, he quarreled with the opponent’s coach during the deciding set of the final, even throwing his racket at him, to the latter’s displeasure. Although the situation was defused by the referee, an enraged Lin eventually lost the game. Some time later in training, Lin “pushed and shoved” the coach following a quarrel, triggering a storm in the media. Lin eventually apologized, but his volatile disposition, a true “double-edged sword,” has once again attracted media focus.

“Young Genius” Chen Jianghua

Who will be the point guard to team up with Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian on the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team? According to an article in The New York Times in 2003, it will likely to be the then 14-year-old Chen Jianghua, from the Chinese Olympic Hope Team. Moreover, the article continued, Chen would likely become “China’s first world-class point guard.”

“With neat black hair and an angelic smile, the slim Chen’s shooting posture is as elegant as Ray Allen’s, the best shooter in the NBA,” it reported. “His strong legs show great explosive power.”

Born in Guangzhou in 1989, Chen is a born basketball prodigy. At six, he surprised his family by insisting that he wanted to sleep holding a basketball. He began his basketball career at 10 when he entered a sports school for children, and two years later, he amazed everyone with a 360-degree dunk during a match. In 2003, Chen was chosen to be a member of the Chinese Olympic Hope Team, achieving instant fame in Chinese basketball circles. In 2006, Chen Jianghua was directly selected by the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team, becoming the youngest player in the team’s history.

Chen is endowed with a terrific physical constitution and playing style. Being a point guard, he has amazing jumping height and dribble speed. The 1.88-meter-tall Chen is able to reach 3.5 meters, and he can sprint 100 meters in 10.6 seconds. He is also highly confident, even “domineering,” and prefers to control the ball most of the time. He specialized in one-on-one breaks, once assisting a teammate by breaking through the defenses of “Flash” Dwayne Wade in a game against the U.S. Following the game, the U.S. coach said he appreciated Chen’s performance and predicted that he would have a bright future.

Like some other prodigies, of course, Chen Jianghua can sometimes be lazy and undisciplined during daily training. He drops his defenses and can’t concentrate if he misses a shot, scratching his head as if he’s half asleep, The New York Times said. Because of his lack of regard for team discipline, even openly refusing to train for a substitute position, Chen was nearly expelled from the Chinese Olympic Hope Team. Luckily for him, the head coach was reluctant to waste his talent and kept him on the team.

In March 2008, Chen was chosen by the Chinese Men’s Basketball Olympic Training Team, a step closer to joining Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian. But whether he will be included on the final list will depend on his performance. No matter what the result, however, all agree the 19-year-old Chen has a great future ahead of him, just like Allen Iverson, his idol in the NBA.

“Little Princess” Li Na

Twenty-six-year-old Li Na is China’s tennis player in the women’s singles. At the age of 22, she won the Guangzhou Open Tournament championship in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), a first in China’s tennis history. In 2006, she became the first Chinese player to be ranked in the world’s top 30, and ranked in the top-eight and top-16 in the Wimbledon Tournament and the US Open, respectively. In the Australia Open the following year she again ranked in the top 16, and she was 16th in the overall world ranking for a while. This year, Li is the only Chinese player qualified for the women’s tennis singles at the Beijing Olympics, and she is currently ranked 35th.

As China’s most successful singles player, Li Na has set a series of records. However, the girl who began practicing tennis at the age of eight, disliked, and even hated, playing tennis for quite a while. “Except tennis, I know nothing else in my life,” said Li. On the eve of the 2002 Pusan Asian Games in the Republic of Korea, Li Na abruptly announced her retirement, citing “injury and illness,” as well as “a strained relationship with the national team.”

Her difficult relationship with teammates and coaches is one of the more noticeable features of Li Na’s style. Though undeniably talented, she is generally perceived as stubborn, moody, aloof and self-centered. As far back as her early training in her hometown of Wuhan, in Hubei Province, Li was nicknamed “trouble” for her bad temper. A reporter for Sports Illustrated, a well-known U.S. sports magazine, once said that Li Na’s pet word was “I,” because her every sentence during the interview began with it. He concluded, however, that her character was well-suited to high-level competition, allowing her to be confident and aggressive on the court, not to mention the fact that all top players have enormous egos.

However, that oversized ego sometimes leaves Li Na out of step with the traditional “collectivism” of Chinese sports. In the opinion of some coaches and sports officials, Li Na often disobeys orders, is hard to manage, and is too individualistic and liberal. Therefore, her strained relationship with the national team was probably unavoidable. After she retired in 2002, she enrolled at a university in Wuhan, and made a comeback in April 2004.

“I have learned many things and made many friends during my two years of campus life, and my contact with them changed my ideas on tennis,” said Li Na. “I came to realize that playing tennis is a job, and that if I can think of it in that way it will be easier.”

Six month later, Li won the Guangzhou Open and began setting records, and she is hopeful to win a medal at the Beijing Olympics. Still, she understands that satisfying everyone is impossible. “Tennis, after all, is an individual sport,” she said. “I care more about my own feelings and my performance in winning the Grand Slam.” When asked about her future, Li said: “I hope to become a housewife and lead a warm and simple life. Many years later, if people can still remember Li Na, who was hot-tempered and played well, I think that will be enough.”

“Miracle Boy” Chen Qi

Born in 1984, China’s table tennis player Chen Qi is generally acknowledged as a typical representative of the post-’80s generation of athletes. Playing with individuality and passion, he never feels nervous, especially in crucial games, and firmly believes in his ability to create miracles. Nevertheless, his mischievous and headstrong personality sometimes leads him to be impetuous and lose control of his emotions.

Chen’s career has always been marked by “miracles.” In 2004, the 20-year-old Chen spent only half a year advancing his world ranking from an unknown to the top five. “Chen Qi can pull off miracles in such short order. That has not happened for the last 10 or 15 years,” said his head coach. During the Athens Olympics, the then-rookie Chen Qi and his partner encountered formidable opponents in the semifinal of the men’s doubles. Chen displayed incredible passion in confronting them, and emerged victorious, ultimately picking up the gold medal in the final.

Chen’s behavior during the awarding ceremony revealed his post-’80s character to the world. On the podium, his elder partner was moved to tears, while Chen Qi remained extraordinarily calm while holding his championship garland and Olympic gold medal. Once off stage, however, he burst into tears while reading a letter from his parents.

Such an abundance of passion combined with ferocious sportsmanship brings Chen Qi victories. But his distinctive temper still has the potential to make him impulsive and reckless. In the men’s singles final during the Asia Cup table tennis championship held in Japan in 2006, Chen was defeated by his teammate and had to be content with being runner-up. After the game, Chen could not control his irritation, throwing down his racket and kicking the stands, which caused the audience to burst into an uproar. Afterward, he was ordered not only to apologize, but was also sent to a poverty-stricken village in Beijing’s suburbs for a one-week session of “ideological remolding.”

Off court, Chen Qi is a quintessential “post-’80s” youth. On the men’s team, he likes to be well groomed, and he uses a lot of male cosmetics. But he can also be timid, and even though he has recorded a hip pop video and is a talented pop singer, he still stutters when he gets nervous.

Now, Chen is sparing no effort to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. Considering the concentration of talent on the Chinese Table Tennis Team, which swept every Olympic championship in two consecutive Olympic Games, the rivalry between teammates is even more intense than the competition during the Games. But Chen Qi has earned the respect of all the coaches for his excellent performance during the Olympic warm-up. If he can appear on the court at the Beijing Olympics, it will be the latest trick pulled out of the hat of the “Miracle Boy.”

“Bespectacled Sprinter ” Hu Kai

In China, few athletes wear glasses to compete, and even fewer win international championships as undergraduates. Hu Kai, from Tsinghua University, is one such special case, winning the 100-meter dash at the 2005 World University Games in Turkey. He is now preparing for the Beijing Olympics, while studying for a Master’s degree in business management at Tsinghua University.

Hu not only achieved instant fame, but also inspired the Chinese nation. Because Chinese athletes often receive an incomplete education, anyone who is able to do well both in international competitions and at school is regarded with respect. Hu Kai is known as a “student from Tsinghua” and a “100-meter dash champion,” and is known as the “bespectacled sprinter.”

Born in 1982, he never received regular track-and-field training before the age of 18, when he broke his school’s high-jump record. His physical education teacher persuaded his parents and recruited him onto the school’s track-and-field team. Three month later, his result in the 100-meter dash was less than 11 seconds, and the same year he was admitted to Tsinghua University, both for his excellent grades and his athletic ability. In 2005, he seized the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter dash at the East Asian Games.

As a student at one of China’s best universities, “a high education level” is Hu’s distinguishing characteristic. His coach said that as an undergraduate and athlete Hu Kai has a quick mind. After entering university, his result in the 100-meter dash improved from 10.7 to 10.27 seconds.

Although he has been well known since 2005, the elegant and gentle Hu has never changed his “student nature,” leading a quiet life on campus. Stressing study as his main career, Hu always sticks to a well regulated daily schedule: classes in the morning, afternoon training, and individual evening study, because, he said, there is “no graduation without enough credits.”

In order to prepare for the Beijing Olympics, Hu Kai, who is working toward a Master’s degree, took a break from his studies and put all his energy into training. Currently, he is on the list for the men’s 4×100-meter relay race on the Chinese Track and Field Team, and stands a good chance of competing in the Olympics. After the Games, Hu plans to continue studying at Tsinghua, realizing his two dreams: Olympic champion and a Doctorate degree.