By Henry Chen 

The Shandong Women’s Team faced Liaoning in the quarterfinal round of the Chinese National Championships Women’s Team event several weeks ago. It was a tough match for both teams as their battle lasted for about 4 long hours.

In the end, Shandong was eliminated with a 2-3 score.

Following her announcement about her retirement, Li Xiaoxia still represented the Shandong Team in that domestic competition. However, her role was different from what we usually see from her. She acted as the coach for the team at that time.

So does this mean that Li Xiaoxia has already determined her next profession? The answer could most probably be a yes.

“I hope that I would be able to impart my technical skills and experiences to the young players of the Shandong Team. This can make our team much stronger,” Li Xiaoxia said.

Shandong is one of the strong teams in the Chinese domestic scene. Its clear that Li Xiaoxia, as a Grand Slam winner, would want her team to be stronger by contributing her skills and knowledge to their younger members.

Li Xiaoxia completed her Grand Slam in 2013 World Championships held in the French capital. She defeated Ding Ning in the semi-final and Liu Shiwen for the Singles championship title.

Her first world senior title came in 2008 after she secured the final victory in the Women’s World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur. She defeated Tie Yana in the final battle.

After eight years, Li Xiaoxia decided to step back from the spotlight. But before the Rio Olympic Games, she has already contemplated on retiring due to a series of injuries which affected her physical and competitive condition.

For the sake of the Chinese National Team, Li Xiaoxia adhered with training and completed her mission in Rio de Janeiro. This is definitely something members of the Shandong Women’s Team can learn from her.