Today is December 31st, the last day of 2021. Looking back on the past year, it is inevitable that there will be a lot of emotions, and 2021 is destined to be a different year for the sports world. A lot of things have happened in table tennis this year, and today we will take stock of ten major events in the 2021 table tennis world.
First, the national table tennis used the "P" card for the first time at the Olympic Games
At the 2012 London Olympics, the table tennis event set up a "P" card (substitute), and the previous two Olympic games did not use this permission until this year's Tokyo Olympic Games. Before the women's team competition, the national table tennis decided to let Wang Manyu replace the injured Liu Shiwen, and Wang Manyu finally lived up to expectations and successfully completed the task, winning the women's team championship with Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha.
Second, the national table tennis painfully lost the first gold medal in the history of olympic table tennis
The Tokyo Olympics added a new event, mixed doubles, and each association was only allowed to register for one pair of combinations, and Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen shouldered this heavy responsibility, so both gave up singles competition. The two will pass the level to reach the final, but sports competition is always cruel, and in the end, Xu Xin / Liu Shiwen regretted losing to Japan's fierce rivals Mizutani Hayabusa / Ito Mishimasa, and lost the first mixed doubles gold medal in Olympic history.
Third, Malone made history again
Ma Long's achievements needless to say, the only athlete in the table tennis world to win the "Grand Slam", can be said to have won all the championships, but also the only one to win the World Table Tennis Championships Re-entry Cup (2015, 2017, 2019 three consecutive championships). This year's Tokyo Olympics, Malone, made history again, becoming the first double-lap Grand Slam in the history of men's table tennis.
Fourth, Fan Zhendong won the World Table Tennis Championships
Don't look at Fan Zhendong is not yet 25 years old, but this year is his fifth time to participate in the single World Table Tennis Championships, this year's national table tennis veterans have not participated, so whether it is for Fan Zhendong personally, or for the national table tennis team is very important, and finally Fan Zhendong successfully reached the highest podium, which will be a new starting point for him.
After the Tokyo Olympic Games, the national table tennis entered the stage of alternating between the old and the new, fan Zhendong is also constantly proving himself, the World Table Tennis Championships, the National Games, the WTT World Cup finals again and again, are all indicating that Fan Zhendong successfully succeeded Ma Long. 2024 will surely be Fan Zhendong's home stadium, and I hope he can become the next Grand Slam.
V. Sino-US Ping-Pong Diplomacy 2.0
Before the start of the World Table Tennis Championships in Houston this year, the International Table Tennis Federation suddenly announced that national table tennis players Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu would compete in the mixed doubles competition with Zhang An and Kanek of the American team, which was also the first time that the two teams from China and the United States jointly formed a team to participate in the World Table Tennis Championships. This year marks the 50th anniversary of U.S.-China table tennis diplomacy, also known as "Table Tennis Diplomacy 2.0."
Sixth, a large number of team members retired
Retirement season will be entered after each Olympic Games, and this year is no exception. On September 6, Ding Ning announced his retirement, and the three members of the "92line" after the Table Tennis Super League, Zhou Yu, Fang Bo, Yan An, and many other players also announced their retirement. For the retirement of the athletes, although the fans are very sad, they also send blessings to everyone, hoping that they will be all right in the future.
Seventh, the three golden flowers of national table tennis present a three-legged situation
After Chen Meng won the gold medal in women's singles at the Tokyo Olympics, Wang Manyu won the gold medal in the women's singles of the World Table Tennis Championships, followed by Sun Yingshayou won the women's singles championship in the WTT World Cup final. The three of them are undoubtedly the most core main force of the women's team at present, completely presenting a three-legged situation, each of them is excellent, and it is estimated that there will be competition in a short period of time.
8. Chen Meng's Grand Slam dream may have been shattered
After winning the Olympic Games, everyone was looking forward to whether Chen Meng could achieve the "Grand Slam" in one go, but in the end, he missed the opportunity. As she grew older, Chen Meng also began to be slowly suppressed by two young players, there are nearly 3 years before the Paris Olympics, her Grand Slam dream may have been shattered in advance, but in the new year, it is still a blessing that Chen Meng can have new achievements.
9. Zhu Yuling missed 4 major competitions due to illness
On the eve of the Tokyo Olympics Simulation, we suddenly learned that Zhu Yuling had a physical problem, and then she withdrew from the simulation and the National Games. At the end of September, Zhu Yuling released a dynamic, revealing that she had undergone surgery and was recovering, and after careful consideration, the coaching team decided to let Zhu Yuling rest first, not considering the game first, and finally Zhu Yuling missed 4 major games. Recently, we have rarely seen the news of Zhu Yuling, and I hope to see a radiant little Zhu on the field next year.
10. Establish a juvenile training team
Japan's off-generation training has indeed played a role in recent years, such as Ito Mimachi, Zhang Benzhihe, Hirano Miyu, etc. have brought a very big impact to the national table tennis, which also let us see the importance of small team training. On January 6 this year, the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced the official assembly of the national youth and national junior training teams, and excellent players will have the opportunity to take the lead in promoting to the national second team, for which the Chinese Table Tennis Association also held a special selection of coaches, and the gold medal coach Yin Xiao served as the head coach of the national junior team.
The cultivation of young players is crucial, because they are the future, and I hope that there will be more xiao Ma Long, Xiao Zhang Jike, and Xiao Sun Yingsha in the future, laying a more solid foundation for the hegemony of national table tennis in the world table tennis world!
2022 is coming, I wish all athletes can create brilliant and all the best in the new year, and I wish everyone a happy new year and all the best!