This article is transferred from Xue Sijia, Oriental Sports Daily
Welcome to applause, No. 23 Ding Yan Yuhang!” On September 28, Ding Yan Yuhang, a member of Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, officially appeared in public with a member of Shanghai men’s basketball.
Ding Yan Yuhang is no stranger to the team’s new home court, and even stepped over this field earlier than most of the players in the team. In the midsummer four years ago, the same stadium, Xiaoding who was in the limelight at that time, and the aura of the MVP of the two CBA regular season matches, on behalf of the Dallas Lone Ranger team, he appeared at the event site of NBA Chinese football fan day, but what no one thought was that his future career had undergone earth-shaking changes.
1. After falling down, look forward
“If everything could be done again, what choice would he make?”
The sudden career made the outside world accustomed to all kinds of assumptions for Ding Yan Yuhang, so as to cover up the cruel reality of his three years of recuperation and farewell to the stadium. However, there is not much if in life, so is Ding Yan Yuhang.
Set the clock back to April 9, 2018. In the sixth session of the CBA semi-final, the Shandong team holding the competition point challenged Guangsha, Zhejiang. Ding Yanyuhang, who was injured, chose to play closed.
This risky move has been regarded as the watershed of his career by the outside world until now, and when he stepped onto CBA again, it was October 16, 2021, 1286 days passed.
Perhaps God was jealous of talent, and the rising momentum of Ding Yan Yuhang came to an abrupt end. An athlete at his peak gradually faded out of the sight of the fans due to injuries.
“It’s hard. I have a special injury, and I have never thought that I need to recover for so long. Every time, the recovery was carried out with hope, and then it was repeated and delayed for a long time. At first, I didn’t know. In fact, this injury has not been completely good. Because there is always inflammation in this leg, it hurts when the training is large, and it needs rehabilitation and treatment.”
At the right knee of Ding Yan Yuhang, there is a scar close to 20cm, which is clearly visible and silently tells Ding Yan Yuhang’s experience in the past three years. No one can truly feel the lost and bitter taste.
“The most painful thing is to watch the teammates playing on the court, and they can’t make it. Whether it is the national team or the league, you can only watch it silently. I hope I will do my part, but without this opportunity, I will be very sorry and sad.”
After leaving the spotlight, Ding Yanyuhang had more time to get along with himself, and gradually got used to and adapted to the days of fighting with injuries and making company with suffering. “Although I have not played for three years, I have become stronger psychologically.”
True and free, not entangled with the past, not regretting for the past, walking through the mountains and valleys, the strength and confidence on Ding Yan Yuhang who had seen the great wind and waves never disappeared due to anything, “After experiencing something, it is more indifferent and there will be no more regrets. People always have to learn to look forward. After all, I am not yet 29 years old.”
2. Change the environment and be yourself
This summer, Ding Yan Yuhang left the Shandong team, which had been playing for 11 years. This big boy from Karamay, Xinjiang, finally chose Shanghai Jiushi men’s basketball as the new foothold, A one-year class C contract was signed.
Shanghai men’s basketball’s favor with Ding Yan Yuhang is no secret in the circle. If it weren’t for the change of Shandong team’s equity, this hand-in-hand might have happened earlier. “By coincidence, the contract with Shandong team expired this year. I also want to have a new environment. I have been troubled by injuries before. I hope I can give myself a chance to start over in Shanghai.”
For the first time in his career, Ding Yanyuhang chose No. 23 as his jersey number again, which was the number when he first entered CBA, and the meaning of it was self-evident.
“There are many young players in Shanghai team and the atmosphere is very good. This is my first transfer and I hope to do what I should do. No matter what the recovery looks like, do your best to do what you should do. As a player, I have no way to predict the future, play happily and help the team win more victories, which is what I come here to do.”
In order to prepare for the new season, Ding Yanyuhang officially returned to the team to start training as early as early as June. Hard work and sweat won’t lie. Ding Yanyuhang, who appeared in public view again, lost 7.5 kilograms of weight, had a clear face and a stronger body. “The physical condition must be better than last year, but I still have to pass the league to test, and I am looking forward to it myself.”
Xiao Ding could not give an answer to his competitive state for the time being, and this unknown number also exists in the hearts of the management of Shanghai men’s basketball, even if they have full confidence and longing for the players themselves, but this doubt was not completely eliminated until the first game of the league against Xinjiang.
The champion will have moisture, but MVP will definitely not. In the case of encouraging physical confrontation in the new season, Ding Yanyuhang, who appeared on the bench, got 10 points in the first show, and at the same time there were 5 times to steal the account.
Compared with the data, what is more surprising is that Ding Yan Yuhang has hit RIM in the competition several times, which makes people vaguely see the figure of “four-character foreign aid.
“Xiaoding’s ability has always been there, and we also see that his condition is gradually getting better. His training attitude is also very positive, and I believe that the future will be better and better.” Wang Zhelin, the captain of Shanghai men’s basketball, was not stingy with the “new teammate.
3. Join Shanghai and meet friends
Although he is a newcomer, Ding Yan Yuhang, who has been in the league for several years, is not a stranger to Shanghai men’s basketball.
Li Chunjiang and Liu Zheng stood on the opposite side of him four years ago. Now they have changed from opponents to Masters and teammates fighting side by side.
“Director Li has been pushing me all the time, and I am very grateful to him for helping me all summer. This is our first cooperation. Although we were rivals before, we have a good relationship. On the court, he is strict and his character is very real, but he is still very kind in private. Just like an elder, he can see that the whole team has changed a lot under his leadership.”
As a close friend who has been “in love with xiaoding” for many years, Wang Zhilin is undoubtedly the happiest person. From U16 to U18 national youth and then to the national team, the two have always been frequent guests of the national character, but it is the first time to cooperate in the league.
At the first time when the club’s official xuanbuyan Yuhang joined, Wang Zhelin, as the captain, welcomed him on social media. “Xiao Ding’s joining is undoubtedly a great help to the team. We all know that his ability and being a teammate of the club with him have never been thought of before. This time we can have this opportunity to cooperate together. I believe both of us will do our best to help the team achieve better results.”
Also open his arms to Xiaoding, as well as Luo Hanchen, his roommate in his youth, “I believe he can do his best. We also have Wang Zhelin, who knows each other too well all the way from national youth to national youth and then to Shanghai team. Sometimes we know each other’s thoughts with one eye, so I believe our new season will definitely form a good chemical reaction.”
I have to mention, and Beasley. In the 2015-2016 season, Beasley and Ding Yanyuhang joined hands to help Shandong team achieve the fifth place in the regular season. The former was elected as the most valuable foreign aid in the regular season, the latter won the title of the most valuable domestic player in the regular season in the next two years.
Six years have passed, and the two have completed the reunion in Shanghai team. “I am really very happy to see him back. We had a good relationship when we were in Shandong team. In the past six or seven years, I have not played together. It is also a kind of fate to be a teammate again.”
4. Returning to the peak is the goal.
In the warm-up session of the home test, Ding Yan Yuhang became the most “out of place. Among the young people who could fly well, he just chose the simplest layup, but everyone always remembered that he was also “the man who picked XINGX in the Sky”.
“Seeing them, are you very envious and Miss yourself?” The reporter’s voice did not fall, Ding Yan Yuhang said with a smile, “I can also deduct it now! They are really talented and hard-working, but they still need to experience more competitions to accumulate experience slowly.”
In the first two matches of the league, Ding Yan Yuhang played 9 points, 4 rebounds and 1.5 assists, and also had 3.5 steals, ranking third in the league, even though his physical condition has not recovered to the best, his attitude of fighting actively and fighting every ball still captures the hearts of a large number of Shanghai fans.
“I want to say the most thanks to you. I have experienced a lot in recent years. I have been recovering and treating and faded out of the stadium. However, everyone has always remembered me and accompanied me, hoping to repay them with a good competitive state.”
During the interview, Ding Yan Yuhang thanked his family, fans, clubs, coaches and teammates, but only forgot to thank himself-who never gave up and was consistent.
“Life can’t be as good as you think, but it won’t be as bad as you think. I think people’s vulnerability and strength are beyond my imagination. Sometimes, I may be so fragile that I burst into tears in one sentence; Sometimes, I also find myself biting my teeth and walking a long way.” Ding Yanyuhang once quoted a sentence from French writer Maupassant’s “life” in his circle of friends.
In the face of repeated injuries and noisy environment, his body is always burning with the fire of basketball to death, just like the slogan of the CBA league in the new season-when it is up to me.
“Returning to the peak has always been my goal and has not changed.” “Where is the national team?” “Always.” Ding Yan Yuhang’s answer, blurt out, firm and powerful.