Laughter on the Court: Olympic Badminton Champ Sheng Lihao Brings the House Down with Hilarious Antics

On August 31, the activities of mainland Olympic athletes in Hong Kong continued, and a badminton exhibition match attracted everyone’s attention. Badminton masters Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong competed in groups, and shooting double gold medalist Sheng Lihao joined the battle with great enthusiasm, and his participation became the focus of the whole audience. Unexpectedly, the performance of this Olympic champion on the badminton court was a little clumsy, and his funny running and uncoordinated movements caused laughter at the scene. Even the table tennis players sitting on the sidelines were amused and laughed out loud. Fan Zhendong almost lost control of his laughter, and even the usually serious national table tennis coach Li Jun smiled.

Although Sheng Lihao is very impressive on the shooting range, he seems to be a little overwhelmed in badminton, a sport that requires flexible limbs and coordination, showing a completely different side from the shooting range. The audience and athletes were amused by his “primitive instinctive” way of playing, and the Internet jokingly called it “a precious record of Sheng Lihao’s early exploration of body coordination.” This scene not only made the national table tennis team members laugh, but even Sheng Lihao’s shooting teammates laughed to tears, once again verifying the truth that “different trades are like different mountains.”

While netizens were having fun, they also kindly reminded Sheng Lihao that it might be more appropriate for him to focus on shooting. This incident also made people realize that even Olympic champions are not able to master all sports, just as when diving champion Quan Hongchan tried table tennis, she was still amateur despite Chen Meng’s guidance. Every athlete has his or her own area of expertise, which is also the charm of sports diversity and professionalism.