Great Minds Mature Slowly -- Zhang Ning
大器晚成——张宁
Zhang Ning is a world-famous badminton player. Her overall achievements is world No.1 at present. Zhang Ning was born in the city of Shenyang, Liaoning Province, in May 19th, 1975. She is 175 centimeters high. She was selected to Jinzhou Sports School in 1985, and her coach was Du Zhixin. Four years later, she came to Liaoning Provincial Sport School, and at the same year, she was selected to Liaoning Professional Sport Team, and her coach was Bai Lihua. In 1990, she was selected to the National Youth Team under the coach Fang Kaixiang's guide. One yera later, she was selected to the National Team, and her coach was Chen Yuniang. Zhang Ning is a all-round right-hander, and she always shot aggressively and pithily. She is Ye Zhaoying's contemporary, and has begun to join in the Uber Cup for China since 1994. As a typical great-minds-mature-slowly, Zhang Ning hadn't won her first gold medal until the World Badminton Championships in 2003. And then she won the gold medal in the women's singles at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Before this, she beat the old enemy Maltin and the new contemporary Gong Ruina in women's singles at the Korea Open in 2002. This victory helped her regain the world No.1 and win the name "Evergreen Tree".
张宁是世界女子羽坛著名运动员，目前其综合成绩世界排名第一。1975年5月19日出生于中国辽宁省沈阳市，身高一米七五。1985年进入辽宁锦州市体校，教练是杜志新；1989年进入辽宁省体校，同年进入辽宁省专业队，教练是白丽华；1990年进入中国国家少年队，教练是方凯祥；1991年进入中国国家队，教练是陈玉娘。她右手握拍，技术全面，富有攻击性和杀伤力，是和叶钊颖同期的羽毛球国手，自1994年就已经开始代表中国出战尤伯杯，张宁是典型的大器晚成型选手，直到2003年世锦赛才夺得个人首个世界冠军，2004年夺得雅典奥运会女单冠军。她在2002年韩国公开赛上先后战胜夙敌马尔廷和新锐龚睿那，在女单比赛中夺冠，并重新登上世界排名第一的宝座，可谓世界女子羽坛的一棵常青树。
Her Main Achevements:
主要成绩：
Gold medals of women's singles at the France Open in 1994, the Sweden Open, the Asian Cup and the World Cup in 1996, the Malaysian Open, the Denmark Classic Event and the World Athletics Final in 1998, the Asian Championships in 2001, the Korea Open in 2002, the Swiss Open, the Singapore Open, the German Open, the China Open and the Hong Kong Open in 2003, the Korea Open and the Japan Open, and the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.
在下列比赛中获得女单冠军：1994年法国公开赛女单冠军，1994年尤伯杯赛亚军主力成员；1996年瑞典公开赛女单冠军，亚洲杯女单冠军，世界杯女单冠军，1998年马来西亚公开赛女单冠军，丹麦精英赛女单冠军，大奖赛总决赛女单冠军，2001年新加坡公开赛女单冠军，亚洲锦标赛女单冠军，2002年韩国公开赛女单冠军，2003年瑞士公开赛女单冠军，新加坡、德国、中国香港公开赛女单冠军，2003年世锦赛女单冠军，2004年韩国、日本公开赛女单冠军，2004年雅典奥运会女单金牌。
Main force of the team in winning gold medals at the Asian Games in 1998 and the Uber Cup in 2006.
在下列比赛中获得女子团体冠军：1998年亚运会团体冠军主力成员，2004年尤伯杯冠军成员，2006年尤伯杯冠军成员。
Silver medals of women's singles at the 3rd National Inner Cities Games and the National Championships in 1995, the UK Open in 1998, the Copenhagen Classic Event in 2001, the Asian Championships in 2002 and the World Championships in 2005.
女子单打亚军：1995年第3届城运会女单亚军，全国锦标赛女单亚军，1998年全英公开赛女单亚军，2001年哥本哈根精英赛女单亚军，2002年中国、印尼、新加坡公开赛女单亚军，亚锦赛女单亚军，2005年世锦赛女单亚军。
Silver medals of women's doubles at the Korea Open in 1999.
女双亚军：1999年韩国公开赛女双亚军。
Silver medals of mixed doubles (with Yu Yang) at the 3rd National Inner Cities Games in 1995.
混双亚军：1995年第3届城运会混双亚军（与于洋合作）。
Main force of the team in winning silver medals at the Uber Cup in 1994 and 1996.
1996年尤伯杯赛亚军主力成员。
It's the gold medal, which was won in the women's singles in Athens 2004 Olympic Games that catapulted Zhang Ning to the pinnacle of profession, but she was still a single at that time. Then she married Yu Yang, who was the head coach of men's doubles of National Badminton Team Two, in Oct 28th, 2004. Wearing the gold medal, Zhang Ning tasted sweet of both love and success finally. Zhang Ning is the leading player of National Women's Badminton Team. We hope that she will get more success in the coming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
2004年雅典奥运会上，29岁的张宁夺得了羽毛球女子单打的冠军，达到了事业巅峰。2004年10月8日，张宁完成了自己的婚姻大事，与当时的羽毛球国家队二队男双主教练于洋迈进了婚姻的殿堂。戴着这枚金牌走进婚姻的殿堂，张宁终于尝到了事业和爱情成功的甜蜜。当前，张宁仍然是中国女子羽毛球队的一号领军人物，我们期待着在2008年的奥运会上张宁能够再创辉煌。
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