There is a kind of "gnawing on the old" called mutual achievement!, Strange Stories at the Badminton World Championships: Mother and Son Partner 18 Years Svetlana | Father and Son | Badminton World Championships
The Badminton World Championships are being held in Copenhagen in full swing, with a pair of mixed doubles, once again refreshing people's understanding of this sport and attracting the attention of the audience - Svetlana Ziberman and Misha Ziberman from Israel, a rare mother son duo.
Mother and son partner for 18 years
At this year's World Championships, Vetana Ziberman won the first round of the competition by partnering with her son at the age of 65 to defeat the Egyptian duo. It is worth mentioning that the record for the oldest winner of the former Badminton World Championships was held by themselves. Misha said in an interview, "When I participated in men's singles, my mother was my coach. But in mixed doubles, we were partners."
Badminton is considered a niche sport in Israel. Initially, Svetlana was just her son's singles coach, but when she couldn't find a suitable partner for mixed doubles in China, she decided to become her son's partner. They have been partnering to win the national championship in Israel since 2005, and have been participating in the World Championships since 2009. They won the World Championships for the first time last year, and this year, they have gone on a mixed doubles badminton partnership for 18 years step by step.
At the age of 25, Svetlana was told by her coach that she was too old to participate, but she won a bronze medal in the women's singles at the 1986 European Badminton Championships. In her career, Svetlana has won Israel's national women's singles and doubles championships 17 times, and mixed doubles championships 21 times. Most of the mixed doubles championships were won by partnering with her son and becoming an elderly athlete. Today, Svetlana is still active in the first tier of the competition.
Although the Israeli mother son duo lost to Chinese duo Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin in the match on the 22nd, 65 year old Svetlana remained agile and agile on the field, and their love for the sport of badminton was touching.
Looking forward to James and his son the most
Throughout the history of sports, although parent-child partnerships are not common, once they appear, they often become the topic of competition and the focus of the media.
Eskiel Sverssel and Henrik Sverssel, the Swedish father son duo, have jointly driven racing cars in international competitions, including the World Rally Championships; Leko Rahri and Max Rahri, the Finnish father son duo, have participated in some rally races together; In the 2019 Australian Grand Slam PGA Championship, Greg Norman and his son formed a father son partnership; In the North American Professional Hockey League, there has also been a legend of father and son playing together: Wayne Gretsky and Ty Gretsky. Although they did not actually play as teammates in the NHL, in Wayne Gretsky's retirement game, Ty Gretsky, who was only 6 years old, played with his father, which is also seen as a symbolic father son partnership.
The most anticipated "parent-child partnership" would be James and his son in the basketball industry. Brownie James, the eldest son of basketball superstar LeBron James, is 18 years old and a member of the University of Southern California basketball team. This basketball superstar was once named a four-star rookie and shone brightly in the McDonald's All American Game in March this year, being selected for the McDonald's All American Team. In June of this year, according to tweets from the University of Southern California men's basketball team, Brownie James will wear the number 6 jersey to compete in the NCAA next season. For his son's outstanding performance, his father "Lao Zhan" has repeatedly expressed his pride and desire to compete with his son on the same stage.
However, last month, while training at the University of Southern California, Brownie James suddenly collapsed on the field and had a sudden cardiac arrest. Subsequently, medical staff from the University of Southern California carried out emergency rescue and sent him to the hospital. He was later released from danger and his condition stabilized. Cardiac arrest is a career threatening event for any athlete. However, for "Xiao Zhan" and "Lao Zhan", although the dream of father son competing on the same stage is relatively slim, it is not without hope.
Perhaps it's also a double-edged sword
Being able to have the opportunity to compete with loved ones on the field is fortunate, but it may also bring new problems.
On the one hand, the close relationship between family members can form a unique understanding in a two person project that requires teamwork. Based on long-term joint practice and education, children learn skills and sportsmanship from their parents from an early age. As Misha said about her mother, "My mother is the most unique being. Without her, I wouldn't be standing here, I wouldn't have walked this path. She is the most important person in my career."
In addition, participating with family members may provide athletes with stronger emotional support. When encountering setbacks in a competition, one can adjust their state faster. When asked if partnering with her mother would feel pressured, Misha admitted that in mixed doubles, it's more about enjoyment.
However, at the same time, "parent-child partnerships" will also receive more media attention, requiring athletes to adjust their mentality in a timely manner. Because the outside world may have higher expectations for parent-child combinations, and athletes will also have higher self expectations.
Overall, "parent-child partnership" or "family partnership" has both unique advantages and potential challenges on the sports field. However, it undoubtedly adds many interesting stories to the sports world.
