Bai Yansong: With Zhang Ning, there is peace; it's not easy for the 33-year-old veteran to make her way to the Olympics.

An old saying goes that an elder member in a family is like a treasure. This saying is especially true for the Chinese badminton team. Watching 33-year-old Zhang Ning play is a kind of enjoyment. Even if she falls behind at the beginning, you wouldn't feel nervous. Sure enough, point by point, Zhang Ning advances to victory and we, point by point, wait calmly for her victory. This is the charm of veteran players - they give you not only victories but also peace of mind and emotion!

In this Olympic Games, among China's gold medalists, there are many new faces, some of whose names you hear for the first time. On one hand, it is good because it foretells the future; on the other hand, due to lack of inheritance and memory, people's feelings, apart from excitement and thrill, seem to be missing something.

Actually, what's missing is the days we've gone through together and the resulting attachment. In this, a kind of attention, blessing and expectation all become more meaningful because of memory and time. Therefore, you find that after Du Li won the championship, you were more moved; Yang Wei won, you were even more excited than him; Liu Chunhong won, you shouted yourself hoarse; Tan Zongliang and Tan Xue failed to win gold, you wanted to comfort them more.

So, naturally I pay more attention to Zhang Ning and others. It's not easy to remember: at 29, she became an Olympic champion. Everyone thought Zhang Ning would retire and live off the glory of her past, but Zhang Ning didn't. This already-married famous player chose to start again for the next four years. Staying in such a dominant project as badminton is not only a kind of spirit but also a kind of adventure. What if she struggled for several years but lost her edge and was overtaken by new players? I believe Zhang Ning must have thought about these questions, but she made it. And before the final, she eliminated all foreign players, guarding an entire half-draw alone. No wonder after winning yesterday's match, her eyes were red because she fulfilled the responsibility of a veteran Chinese player. The upcoming final is just a battle for herself, which is also her last Olympic final in her life.

In terms of badminton, there is only one game left in her life. I think, although her opponent is her teammate, more people will cheer for Zhang Ning. Facing this situation, I believe Xie Xingfang can understand. If she can persist until four years later, when people cheer for her with full emotion, she will know why all this is worth it.

Female athletes, at 33, challenging for the championship, Zhang Ning is not the first one, because Xian Dongmei has set this record - the first mother champion in China's Olympic history. Therefore, this championship carries double significance because there is another person who shares your glory more closely. Speaking of children, it is Zhang Ning's next goal after the Beijing Olympics. During the internal Spring Festival celebration this year, I joked with the badminton team: Zhang Ning's child will be born in 2009, under the zodiac sign of Ox, and this is certain. Now, Zhang Ning needs only one more game, and regardless of whether she wins or loses, she can smile as she leaves the court and walks into a more warm life.