Lena Zhao had an unexpected crossover after she retired and said goodbye to being a professional soccer player.
The guardian who once guarded the goal for the Chinese women's soccer team appeared on the stage of the singing and dancing variety show Ride the Wind 2023, arousing curiosity among both the sports and variety audiences.
Lena Zhao, who participated in Ride the Wind 2023.
In an interview with ThePaper, Zhao Lina, dubbed the "Gateway to Beauty," lamented that singing and dancing is not easy - "I lost eight pounds, and that's the biggest thing I've gained. " She teased.
As she said goodbye to the stage, she also expressed her wish, "Don't shed tears when you leave, just keep it in your heart. I hope my sisters don't give up. You are not alone. I wish I could give you the last strength."
️"The Ride final is before the Women's World Cup opens, so I hope to help promote women's soccer a little more, and I hope your baby plays more soccer."
Zhao Lina used to be the starting goalkeeper for the Chinese women's soccer team.
Participated in a singing and dancing variety show and lost eight pounds.
All professional athletes are pushing the limits of their physical strength to the fullest extent of their ability, and so are women's soccer players.
Years of career have long accustomed Jo to intense training, but when it came to the stage of singing and dancing variety, she had to learn from scratch.
Before the official taping, she watched the previous seasons of the show for a "refresher". After the taping, the show was as intensive as the previous seasons, leaving her no time to relax.
"Immediately after the first company ended, I dove into the process of preparing for the second company. The process really didn't take much time. I felt like I couldn't wait to spend time sleeping every day. The energy drain was really, really high." She told ThePaper.
Previously Lena Zhao's tearful retirement ceremony.
Zhao Lina teased, "Lost eight pounds, that's my biggest gain. At the same time, she said she got a lot.
"I made a lot of good friends, which then enriched my experience." Even after a long training period in singing and dancing, dancing has become a new hobby for her - and she has enrolled in a street dance class to learn how to dance on her own afterward.
"Dancing gives me great pleasure. Maybe I still like to exercise and can't stop. I also talked to Sun Yue. She also likes playing badminton. We both belong to the kind of people who like to move when they can't sit comfortably."
When I take a dance class, even when I'm tired, the feeling of being sore on my body is familiar and I love it, it's like I'm back on the team again.
Height has changed from a strength to a "weakness."
In fact, as a former national team starter, Zhao Lina is not afraid to take on challenges. As she said herself, "Difficulties are definitely difficult, but I don't think athletes are afraid of difficulties."
"I can't sing, I can practice, I can't dance, I can practice, at least I can make myself better tomorrow than I am today." But in addition to these two items, there is another "shortcoming" in the eyes of Zhao Lina is very difficult to change, that is, her height.
As a goalkeeper, Lina Zhao's outstanding height is a guarantee that she can protect her team's city on the field. However, when she comes to a performance stage that requires the cooperation of many people, she becomes an unavoidable "disadvantage".
"I had actually prepared myself mentally that my height would be particularly abrupt, but I didn't realize that the bludgeoning damage inflicted on me in this regard would still be quite high." In the face of such a situation, she was helpless.
Lena Zhao was on the show.
"Even though no one else would say anything, the stage would really look uneven because of my presence. I myself would feel bad about whether it would affect the team, whether it would affect the stage as a whole, whether it would look disjointed."
"Height really puts pressure on me on stage, including feeling a bit 'special' when I'm with my sisters, but I can't really change that, so I can't cut my legs."
Because of this, Jo Lena is especially grateful to her other sisters for being so accommodating during the recording process and "encouraging me all the time."
"There's a lot to learn from them and they've taught me a lot, like how to sing and dance and how to look good on stage."
Zhao Lina instructed the children to play soccer.
Getting more people to care about the women's soccer community
During her previous competitions as a professional player, Zhao Lina, who had an outstanding body and face, had received an offer from the entertainment industry, but she refused at that time.
"I used to be on the team, so I should look like an athlete. After all, playing soccer is my job, so I have to spend more energy doing my job before I think about doing anything else."
"I'm retired now and I'm a different person. I can spend more energy enriching my life experiences. Personally, I also want to experience different life." She told ThePaper.
In addition to the experience of recording this variety show, she also has a desire - that is, to let more people see the group of female soccer players, and to draw attention to women's soccer.
"Making friends with my sisters and letting them know I'm an athlete might get them interested in soccer."
After her retirement, in fact, Zhao Lina did not leave soccer. She joined a soccer charity program called "Planet Project", which aims to provide soccer training and competition opportunities for primary school students in remote areas.
On June 1, the program's first Sunshine Stadium was officially unveiled at Huangshan Baima Primary School in Yulong County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, the first time the century-old elementary school has had a real soccer field.
"If you can get more people to know me, you can also drive the program so everyone knows what I'm doing. If you go to the schools (to match), it might work better." Lena Zhao said.
The definition of beauty is becoming broader and broader
Zhao Lina has already shown many people on the variety stage that she is something other than an athlete, and has received positive comments from many viewers.
However, as a former professional player, Zhao Lina also knows that there is a big gap between her stage ability and her sisters with high acting level, and she doesn't put too much psychological pressure on herself.
"Athletes and singers are actually very similar. Ten years off stage and only a few minutes on stage. A lot of times, their efforts go unseen, but the truth is, everyone is eager to be discovered and liked."
"My idea is to perform my best on every stage. The rest I can only leave to the fate of the voters in the live audience. When the votes finally come in, there will be a natural answer. There's no point worrying or fretting about things you can't decide."
This calmness of mind may stem from the years of training under the pressure of competitions, but to her, toughness is not just for athletes, but for many women at heart.
"I grew up surrounded by girls and witnessed what it's like to have too many girls working their asses off on the field. The fact that so many girls show a resilience and fortitude when going through difficult times is especially rewarding."
In Lena Zhao's eyes, women's definition of beauty is getting broader. "I don't think you can only look good if you are thin and white." Being healthy from the inside to the outside has become a sought after beauty.
"Perseverance is a beauty, so is sticking to something for a long time, and so is kindness. I think a woman's true beauty radiates from the inside out."
