A Sudden Accident Took Away My Future and Wife...
Seventeen years ago, male volleyball player Tang Miao fainted during training and woke up to find himself paralyzed in bed. At that time, he was at the peak of his athletic career and had only been married to his wife for a year!
Now, seventeen years have passed, and both his mother and wife have remarried. Only his seven-year-old daughter remains by his side...
Legendary "Second Passer"
Born in Shanghai in 1982, Tang Miao is one of the representatives of China's golden generation of male volleyball players. Standing at 2 meters and 3 centimeters tall, although not particularly robust, he quickly stood out in the team with his excellent physical fitness and flexible on-court reactions.
As a second passer, his agility and quick response ability made him almost invincible in matches. He could not only break through the opponent's defense with his outstanding jump serve but also repeatedly score in the back row and first position attacks, breaking the traditional limitation that second passers could only "organize attacks."
In the 2001 men's volleyball league, when the Shanghai men's volleyball team had already missed the finals, in the last match against the Jiangsu team, despite the strong opponent, Tang Miao and his teammate Shen Qiong did not lose heart. Through constant cooperation and their outstanding personal performances, they helped the Shanghai team turn the tide and brought joy to the fans, making their names known to more people.
However, in the national team, he did not immediately secure a starting position. Although Tang Miao was selected, most of the time he still served as a substitute. It wasn't until the 2003 Asian Championship when the second passer Lu Fei was injured and absent that Tang Miao got the opportunity to show his skills.
Eventually, Tang Miao led the Chinese team to successfully advance to the semi-finals with his efforts in the Asian Championship, winning recognition from the coach and teammates. This Asian Championship became an important turning point in Tang Miao's career. It was from then that he gradually established his footing in the national team.
"Divided Paths of the Legendary Couple"
When Tang Miao's career was at its peak, his love life also began to enter the public eye. His relationship with Zhou Su Hong, a star of the Chinese women's volleyball team, became a hot topic in the sports circle at the time.
Both were top athletes in the sports world; Tang Miao in the men's volleyball team, and Zhou Su Hong as the main player in the women's volleyball team. They met through volleyball and experienced many common challenges and struggles.
Tang Miao's mother divorced his father when he was young, and his growth process lacked the tenderness of maternal love. However, Zhou Su Hong's arrival made him feel unprecedented warmth.
In 2005, Tang Miao and Zhou Su Hong publicly announced their relationship at a New Year's party held in Beijing. Regardless of the public gaze, Tang Miao bravely took Zhou Su Hong's hand and sang a duet of "Love Like a Torrent," creating a very romantic scene.
In the following years, their love story spread widely inside and outside the sports circle. Fans called them the "Legendary Couple," envying both their careers and personal lives.
But fate often brings huge blows at the most unexpected moments. In 2007, less than a year after Tang Miao and Zhou Su Hong got married, their lives underwent a drastic change.
During a trip to Russia for a match, Tang Miao fainted on the warm-up ground due to excessive fatigue and physical discomfort. After rescue efforts, although Tang Miao managed to save his life, he became paralyzed, ending his volleyball career forever.
Zhou Su Hong once decided to give up the Olympics to take care of her husband, but Tang Miao insisted that she fulfill her professional dreams and even proposed a cruel agreement: if he could not stand up again after five years, they would divorce.
Although Tang Miao's body gradually recovered, he could never return to his former state. Under his wife's meticulous care, his condition improved, but he was never able to stand up again.
Five years later, Tang Miao fulfilled his promise to his wife and officially divorced Zhou Su Hong. By this time, Tang Miao had transformed from a once-celebrated male volleyball star into an ordinary person mercilessly struck by fate.
In these five years, Tang Miao's life underwent significant changes. To add a bit of hope to his life, he underwent IVF in 2017 and successfully welcomed a lovely daughter.
But this once-glorious sports star was now alone, reaching a place where no one was willing to accept him. Even so, the country has not forgotten his contributions to the volleyball cause and provided subsidies, allowing him to live a peaceful life.
In recent years, Tang Miao has received attention from many veterans in the sports circle, especially from Lang Ping. In May of this year, Lang Ping uploaded photos of herself visiting Tang Miao online.
Now, although Tang Miao has gained weight, he cannot hide his happy demeanor. In Lang Ping's arms is Tang Miao's seven-year-old daughter Zhen Zhen, smiling brightly and intimately close.
Lang Ping always finds time to visit Tang Miao every year. Although he can no longer return to the court, this care makes him feel that he has not been forgotten.
Gymnastics Champion Sang Lan
Although athletes fight passionately on the field for the glory of the nation, this is actually a very dangerous profession. Many athletes suffer from sequelae or even paralysis due to training accidents.
Sang Lan is one of them. July 21, 1998, is an unforgettable day for Sang Lan. At the gymnastics hall in Long Island, New York, she was eagerly warming up, preparing to represent China in the Goodwill Games.
Just as she leaped into the air, the Romanian coach suddenly pulled away the mat, leaving Sang Lan unprepared. She fell heavily to the ground, with her head almost vertically colliding with the ground.
Sang Lan was a gymnastics prodigy since childhood, entering the city-level youth sports school at the age of six, the provincial sports school at eight, and winning the all-around championship at the Zhejiang Provincial Games at ten.
In 1993, she entered the national gymnastics team and became an athlete for the glory of the country. She trained hard for years, aiming to win gold and silver at the Olympics, but all this turned into nothingness in that accident.
During her days in the hospital, Sang Lan experienced the darkest moment of her life. With a fractured cervical spine and unable to breathe autonomously, she endured vomiting and dizziness caused by concussion every day.
But Sang Lan did not give up. She actively cooperated with treatment and finally survived the critical period, but the price was high paraplegia below the chest.
Facing such a blow, Sang Lan did not succumb. She worked hard to adapt to her new life, learning to get on and off the wheelchair by herself, eating and dressing independently. She also actively sought opportunities to continue her career in sports.
During this process, she met Huang Jian, a professional agent who would become her future husband. Huang Jian's appearance brought warmth and companionship to Sang Lan.
They performed together, chatted and shared their hearts, and their feelings gradually deepened. Sang Lan also received an admission notice from Peking University and embarked on a four-year academic journey.
After graduation, Sang Lan returned to the sports industry and became a special correspondent for the official website of the Chinese Olympic Committee. Huang Jian also resigned from his job in Shenzhen and returned to Sang Lan's side. They finally broke through the barrier and came together.
Sang Lan filed a lawsuit against the organizers of the Goodwill Games, accusing them of negligence in venue management. This cross-border lawsuit was extremely difficult, and Sang Lan bore much unwarranted criticism.
But she insisted on her innocence and eventually received a $10 million accidental insurance compensation. Throughout this process, Huang Jian remained by her side, giving her firm support.
During this period, Sang Lan risked her life to give birth to a healthy son. Now, their son is nine years old and has become Sang Lan's little bodyguard and capable assistant.
Now, Sang Lan and Huang Jian live a happy and fulfilling life. Sang Lan also expressed her desire to have another child to accompany her son's growth. Although her body has become thinner, her spirit remains full and resilient.
Editor: ToT
References:
Guangming Net - May 20, 2024 - "Lang Ping Visited Tang Miao Again"
Shandong Mass Net - June 22, 2007 - "Tang Miao's Injury Originated from a Common Action, Still Possible to Be Paralyzed"
China Youth Daily - April 30, 2019 - "Tang Miao on the Wheelchair Still Longs for the Arrival of Spring"