GAO LING - Retired with Glory (Nov 23rd)

Sunday, 14 December 2008 00:00

November 23rd,2008. It is a day worth remembering, to all badminton fans and also to me. During the finals of the Li Ning China Open in Shanghai, the team organized a grand yet simple retirement ceremony for me and my retiring teammates. Among the retirees, there was Yang Wei, whom I partnered to win the World Junior title 12 years ago; and also Wei Yili, my partner when we won the women’s doubles title for Hubei in the 2005 National Championships.

Photos: Badmintonphoto.com (archives)

There are three out of six retirees today whose hometown is in Hubei. Perhaps it clearly shows that Hubei has an advantageous position in badminton. Ha-ha! I also hope that the juniors in the national team -- who are from Hubei – will put in full effort and improve quickly. Then they would be able to maintain Hubei’s superiority in badminton.

Also, today’s ceremony was only a ceremony of retirement, and does not mean that we are leaving the sport completely. Like I’ve said before, I will start my usual training next month. This is because I hope to play in next year’s National Championships so I will have to make sure I’m in good condition; hence, I’m slowly getting back with my training now.

It was raining in Shanghai today and I can feel the mawkishness within this humid whether. However, when I arrived at the stadium, what I felt was still the enthusiasm and sincerity of the fans in Shanghai. Therefore, at the retirement ceremony, I gave them my most resplendent smile as an appreciation of their company throughout my journey in badminton. We didn’t have the chance to give our speeches in the ceremony because it was held in between the matches. Now I would like to thank all the fans and people who had been concerned about Gao Ling all this while. THANK YOU!

After all that, I will continue with my training while touching up my studies as a postgraduate student in Huazhong University of Science and Technology, so that I will be able to better repay my hometown (that has brought me up) with my knowledge and all that I’ve learnt.

Gao Ling’s blog:
http://gaoling.qzone.qq.com

Translated by Ee-Lyn OOI,
Blogs Translator,
Badzine Correspondent (MAS)

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