A couple more Li Na items before we get into Olympic season… A video doing the rounds shows Li being slapped by a local sports official back at the National Games in 2001.
All posts by Mark Dreyer
Chinese snooker star makes history
Any fan of snooker will be familiar with Stephen Hendry and Jimmy “The Whirlwind” White, two of the greatest players in history. Well, add Chinese player Ding Junhui to that list.
李娜已练出一颗“大心脏”
李娜在周六获得澳网桂冠的时候，其实她的状态并不是最好的。幸运的是，她不需要达到最佳状态就足以击败紧张的齐布尔科娃，在第三次杀入澳网决赛后终于首次获得这一大满贯头衔。
Li Na provides perfect retort to former boss
A simplistic view often peddled in the western press is that the rebellious Li Na, tattoo and all, broke free of the state-run system when she and three others decided to “fly solo” in 2008. Under the new arrangement, the players could choose their own support team, arrange their own schedule and – crucially – keep the vast majority of their prize money instead of forking it over to the Chinese Tennis Association.
Continue reading Li Na provides perfect retort to former boss
Awesome childhood photos of Li Na
A new post on what Li Na’s Australian Open win could mean for her career both on and off the court will be up tomorrow, but in the meantime, here are some pictures doing the rounds on the Chinese internet of the country’s biggest sports star in her (very) formative years…
Shanghai to explore 2028 Olympic bid
According to the above report from Xinhua – is there a better source? – “political advisors in Shanghai have suggested the city should bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics”.
It is, quite simply, another classic clip from Chinese state-run TV, which checks all the boxes: Continue reading Shanghai to explore 2028 Olympic bid
Li Na & sponsors hoping for Australian Open history
Will it be third time lucky for Li Na at the Australian Open? A dominant semifinal performance saw Li put Canada’s rising star Genie Bouchard firmly in her place, racing to a 5-0 first set lead in just 14 minutes, before cruising to a 6-2, 6-4 win.
Li will play Dominika Cibulkova – Slovakia’s first Grand Slam finalist – on Saturday evening in Melbourne and will start as the heavy favorite in her third Australian Open final in four years, against an opponent she’s never lost to in four matches. But in a tournament full of upsets, who’s to say there won’t be one more? Continue reading Li Na & sponsors hoping for Australian Open history
China Sports Insider Ep. 3 – Golf’s growth in China (CNBC)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tT_ABy0m_s
While China waits for Li Na’s Australian Open semifinal against Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard, here’s an interview I recorded with CNBC just before Christmas, which discusses: Continue reading China Sports Insider Ep. 3 – Golf’s growth in China (CNBC)
王濛受伤为其他中国选手提供机会
经过一段短暂而奇迹的复出后，中国著名短道速滑运动员王濛却无法参加索契冬奥会的比赛。在上周训练时，王濛因为和一名男队友在滑行中发生碰撞，造成右脚踝两根腓骨骨折，随后她在上海一家医院接受了手术，对破碎的踝关节进行了固定。 Continue reading 王濛受伤为其他中国选手提供机会
China begins search for a new Olympic star
I wrote last week about speed skater Wang Meng breaking her ankle after she crashed into an as-yet-unnamed male teammate, putting a serious dent into China’s Olympic hopes. Some people have pointed out to me since that China doesn’t exactly need much sympathy when it comes to the Olympics – their last six medal tables have seen them finish 4th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 2nd.
But that is the Summer Games, and the Winter Games is a different story, Continue reading China begins search for a new Olympic star