The cover is here! Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi: A unique new

Liu Yuchen / Ou Xuanyi , the combination of their names alone is already unique.

They are a veritable “old-old” combination, joining forces in the new Olympic cycle, working hard for each other, working together to extend each other’s careers; they are called the “new twin towers”, but in fact they have only been partners for two years, racing against time in the process of hard work; one of them is a “veteran” who has gone through all the ups and downs, and the other is a “younger generation” who is older but has achieved success late in life; one of them is a “chatterbox” who speaks with great energy, and the other is a “silent person” who is frugal with words. Such a paradoxical combination of two people is indeed unique.

Back then, in Indonesia, they were full of energy and won the first 1000 trophy since they became partners. In the year-end Siamese competition, they stirred up the storm and fought hard to win the championship of the finals. In the desperate situation of the Sudirman Cup semi-finals, they turned the tide and brought miracles to all those who believed in light. Now, on the road to the Olympic points race, they are trapped in difficulties again and again, and one difficulty after another is coming. Now is the most critical link for the national badminton team to participate in Paris. There are so many strong players and so many difficulties. A new pair of veterans needs more courage to overcome and tear than young people.

Fight again out of passion

For Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi, the Paris Olympic cycle actually lasts only two years. From the moment Liu Yuchen decided to stick with one more Olympic cycle, his career destiny has been closely tied to Ou Xuanyi. In fact, many people have advised Liu Yuchen, after all, he has achieved so many achievements, and the Olympic silver medal is also extraordinary. Is he just pursuing an Olympic gold medal?

Especially Liu Yuchen’s parents, out of judgment and heartache for their son’s injury, they have tried to persuade him not to play more than once. But it is precisely because they know Liu Yuchen better than anyone else that they can’t bear to see their son give up his beloved career. Liu Yuchen’s mother Song Yuling recalled the scene at the end of 2021: “We all told him how difficult it would be to persist for another term and how great his own injury risks were. But we understand that he really likes badminton as a career, so we still choose to support him. We told him, just go for another term as you like. Since we promised you this, you have to promise us: after this term, no matter what the result is, you have to listen to us, step down, and have surgery.”

With pressure and expectations on their shoulders, the “New Twin Towers” set sail. This required great courage, but the support of their families was even greater confidence. In their first year as a team, they won the 1000 race and the finals championship. Everything was going in a good direction. They gradually used their performance and achievements to refresh everyone’s perception of their combination.

Gradually, “New Twin Towers” was no longer their code name, they had their own names, and everyone preferred to call them “Liu Ou” or “Tu Ou”.

Unfavorable start, points are in danger

Although the start of 2023 was not satisfactory, especially the painful lesson of being reversed by India’s “Black Tower” 17-11 in the final round of the Malaysia Open, with the start of the Olympic qualifying tournament, their goals and pace have become clear and unified again. As the first stop of the Olympic qualifying tournament, last year’s Sudirman Cup was both their “masterpiece” and the beginning of their disappointment in the first half of the qualifying tournament on another level.

The final game of 16-20 to 22-20 was an epic reversal, a miracle of never giving up, but just like they and head coach Chen Qiqiu have summarized many times: the result is good, but the process is not. “We fought back in the last 6 points, but why are we in such a dangerous situation? If we played better in the previous games, there might not be such a thrilling situation, and we might not even have to play the final game.” As everyone said, this crazy reversal is “a classic that can be said to last a lifetime”, but it has another layer of warning for “Liu Ou”, which is a simple and obvious truth: there is no need to reverse when you are leading.

The situation after the start of the Olympic qualifying tournament was indeed as thrilling as the Sudirman Cup. Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi failed to make the quarterfinals in four consecutive tournaments. In the following World Championships, China Open, Asian Games, and Denmark Open, although they were in the quarterfinals, their names were still not in the semifinals. Time passed little by little, and the competitions ended one by one. The pressure of qualifying for the Hangzhou Finals and the pressure of qualifying for the Olympics accumulated like a snowball.

It was a tormenting period, especially in June. The departure of his grandmother prevented Liu Yuchen from fully devoting himself to the current scoring journey. He even failed to return home because he was competing abroad. “I was always a little absent-minded and my mood was always low. Brother Ou could also feel my mood. Seeing that the results were not good, I knew he was also anxious, but he did not rush me. He left me space to adjust myself.” Liu Yuchen said.

Hip injury continues, desperate

In addition to the emotional difficulties at the time, the hip injury has always been a hidden concern for Liu Yuchen. As early as 2016, Liu Yuchen fractured the tibia in his lower leg, but because it was not completely broken, he only rested for a while before continuing to train and compete. Because he did not recover properly, the hip joint became a compensatory part during the recovery process, and it became a new injury that continues to this day.

This is a problem that can only be cured by stopping completely and undergoing surgery. When Liu Yuchen chose to fight this cycle, he had already chosen to continue to coexist with the hip injury. Over the years, Liu Yuchen has found ways to endure the pain in training and competition. He said: “In fact, playing is only for a short time. It (hip joint) affects life more. For example, it hurts when turning, warming up and stretching. The reaction after the game will be very large, and it will be difficult to mobilize the next day. Like now, I lie down and it hurts to straighten my legs. Sometimes I get used to the pain, and sometimes it hurts too much and I can’t sleep, so I have to take anti-inflammatory drugs.”

Whether on or off the court, Liu Yuchen’s walking posture is very unnatural. In order to relieve pain, he has developed the habit of leaning his upper limbs forward and his lower limbs backward when walking, and he also feels like he has “long legs and short legs”. So far, Liu Yuchen has tried not to do a lot of running training, and he needs to use cycling instead of this training.

The team organized a consultation with experts for his injury, but training, competition and injury are not multiple-choice questions, but short-answer questions that must be faced. “In fact, I have been treated, but I have been overdrawn for several years. It is impossible to get better if I don’t stop.” Whether facing the media or friends around him, Liu Yuchen rarely mentions his injury. To some extent, this is his “spiritual victory method.” “First of all, I think everyone has injuries. Injuries are not a reason to lose or retreat. I can only live with it. It doesn’t change whether I mention it or not. I haven’t gone to shoot films in the past two years, because it will definitely not get better. If the film shows that the situation is worse, it will only affect my mood more. In any case, I can’t stop for it now.”

Just like last year’s finals in Hangzhou, Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi won all three group matches and qualified as the first in the group. But in fact, after defeating “Liang Wang” in the first game and “Xie Su” from Malaysia in the second game, Liu Yuchen’s physical reaction was already very big. It was just that in the third game against the “little nanny” of the Japanese team, the opponent was not in good condition, and “Liu Ou” won strategically. In the semi-finals against the more stable and more grinding Seo Seung Jae/Kang Min Hyuk, the disadvantages brought by three consecutive high-intensity consumption became apparent, and they were eliminated in the semi-finals 0-2.

The intensity of the finals is high, but it is common in today’s men’s doubles arena, and this is what they have to face. With the increase of age and the decline of physical condition, especially Liu Yuchen’s injury, his speed and ability have declined during that period, which requires Ou Xuanyi to take on more responsibilities.

He who wears the crown must bear its weight

This may be the first time that Ou Xuanyi has to stand up for himself. Ou Xuanyi, who joined the national team at the age of 24, developed later than his peers, and his current clean-shaven appearance does not look like a 30-year-old player at all. For a male doubles player who has just turned 30, it is rare to have no injuries, and Ou Xuanyi’s various abilities are still maintained at a very high level.

Whenever there is a middle-distance race in the men’s doubles, Ou Xuanyi always rushes to the front with his teammates, and even beats many “post-00s”. I still remember the golden words left by “Duck Brother” Wang Yilyu during the last national badminton training camp: “Brother Ou, look at your body and ability, your golden decade has just begun!”

As we all know, Ou Xuanyi is a very reserved player who is very frugal with words. Liu Yuchen is a chatterbox who can turn a question into a short essay. But Ou Xuanyi standing next to him is different. Often during an interview, you can only expect him to say something, or even hope that his answer will not be shorter than your question.

In fact, Ou Xuanyi is not extremely introverted, but he gets nervous easily and gets stuck easily when thinking about serious interview questions, especially under the spotlight and in front of the camera. In a relaxed private environment, “Brother Ou” is particularly “cunning”. He loves to joke and even play tricks on his friends. As long as he gets into the state without pressure, he can analyze a game, a round, or even the movement of two people very clearly. But on the court, he often needs a little “time difference” to sort out his thoughts, but there is often no such time on the court. When he comes to the mixed interview area, he also needs some space to think, so we often receive his WeChat after the interview: “I should have said this just now…”

Similarly, the more nervous and stressed he is on the court, the more psychological pressure he creates will break him down. For Ou, the more responsibility he has to bear, the more determined he must be, which is not easy for him who has always been in the role of being led. He also struggles and questions himself after losing, and asks himself if he can take on more after winning, which sometimes even has a counter-effect.

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