The 9-day 2023 World Table Tennis Championships ended in Durban, South Africa on the evening of the 28th. Following the 2019 Budapest World Table Tennis Championships, the Chinese table tennis team once again won the championships of 5 events of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, winning a total of 5 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze.
This year's Durban World Table Tennis Championships is an important table tennis competition before the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, gathering the world's top table tennis masters and having important training significance for all participating teams. For national table tennis, this World Table Tennis Championships is a preview of next year's Paris Olympic Games, and it is also one of the important references for the selection of the Olympic team by the Chinese Table Tennis Association. Liu Guoliang, chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, called the competition "the middle entrance examination of the Paris Olympics". In this World Table Tennis Championships, National Table Tennis sent 6 men and 6 women, a total of 12 players to participate, and sent a sparring team composed of 12 team members, aiming to win all 5 individual championships.
The final day of the 2023 Durban World Table Tennis Championships produces the winners of the last two events. Fan Zhendong successfully defended the men's singles title, and Sun Yingsha won the women's singles championship, lifting the Ji Geist Cup for the first time. So far, the national table tennis won the men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles 5 championships, and finally ended with 5 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze, handing over a very bright report card in the most important single world competition before the Paris Olympics, continuing to lead the world table tennis scene.
Looking back on this highlight moment, the women's singles competition broke out, and the national table tennis failed to make the final four. In the past, in the "five golden flowers" at the same time, Chinese women's table tennis almost always won the final four, but this situation was broken by Japanese player Hina Hayada. In the women's singles 1/4 final, the fourth seed Wang Yidi played 7 sets with Hina Hayata of Japan, losing 3-4, resulting in Chinese players not having the opportunity to win the women's singles semifinals of this World Table Tennis Championships. In addition, the number one women's doubles loss sounded the alarm for the national table tennis. The defending women's doubles champions "seafood" pair Sun Yingsha / Wang Manyu were unexpectedly out of the semifinals, and they were defeated by the South Korean pair Tian Zhixi/Shin Yubin in straight sets, and they did not have the opportunity to achieve a third consecutive title in the event.
Ma Lin, the head coach of the men's team of the Chinese table tennis team, believes that Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng are eager to win the championship, so the baggage before the game is a bit heavy, but the final played well. He said, "The World Table Tennis Championships has tested the all-round ability of athletes very well, and they have been well exercised both technically and psychologically. Hina Hayata in the women's singles and the Korean pair of Tian Ji-hee and Shin Yu-bin in the women's doubles will be our main opponents in the future. ”
On the other hand, the national table tennis men's team showed its strong overall strength, and Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, Ma Long and Liang Jingkun won the final four places of the World Table Tennis Championships men's singles. In men's doubles, top seeds Fan Zhendong/Wang Chuqin lost three straight sets in the final, defeating the previous runner-up South Korean pair Zhang Yuzhen / Lin Zhongxun, and regained the Iranian Cup, which symbolizes the men's doubles championship, for National Table Ping, fully demonstrating the unparalleled dominance of National Table Ping.
Wang Hao, the head coach of the men's team of the Chinese table tennis team, said that Fan Zhendong successfully defended the title, and Wang Chuqin also performed very well, representing the highest level of men's singles today, and the match that impressed him the most was Liang Jingkun's victory over Zhang Benzhihe. He said, "Every athlete is worthy of recognition for holding his or her own line. Through the World Table Tennis Championships, athletes will improve a lot, and also point out the direction for future preparation. ”
In this World Table Tennis Championships, National Table Tennis sent two pairs to participate in the mixed doubles event. Defending champions Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha and young duo Lin Shidong/Qu Man all faced a tough fight. In the semifinals, Lin Shidong/Qu Man were reversed 1-3 by the Japanese pair Tomokazu Changmoto/Hina Hayada; Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha played all five sets to defeat Hong Kong pair Huang Zhenting/To Kaixuan 3-2. However, in the final final, the national table tennis combination did not encounter too many challenges, Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha defeated Japan's top pair Zhang Benzhihe/Hina Hayata in straight sets, successfully defending the title, and also helped the Chinese team achieve the mixed doubles three-consecutive championship of the World Table Tennis Championships.
When Xiao Zhan, the leader of the national table tennis mixed doubles team, talked about the performance of the World Table Tennis Championships, his words revealed emotion and gratification. He said: "The mixed doubles event as a whole has completed the task, and the value of exercise is far greater than the results achieved now; Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha performed perfectly, they both have triathlons, and this competition has done very well. The performance of Lin Shidong/Qu Man in the first World Table Tennis Championships moved me, and I am very pleased with the performance of these four post-00 young players. ”
After the Durban World Table Tennis Championships, the Chinese table tennis team is about to fully prepare for the important event of the Hangzhou Asian Games. As the last comprehensive sports event before the Paris Olympics, the Hangzhou Asian Games will be held at home, and the test of athletes is more comprehensive than that of the World Table Tennis Championships. Previously, the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced the "Table Tennis 2024 Paris Olympic Games Selection Measures" on its official website, clarifying the mixed doubles, singles and team selection methods for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Based on the results and performance of these two competitions, combined with the relevant selection point system, athletes with outstanding achievements, excellent external records, physical fitness, psychological quality and strong ability to withstand pressure were finally selected to participate in the Paris Olympic Games.
Li Feng, the head coach of the Chinese table tennis team, said frankly that the national table tennis still has a long way to go, the competition will become more and more fierce, and the future competition will be more important, and everyone must turn pressure into motivation. "Winning five gold medals shows the desire to win, and the team will create the best environment for the athletes to help them complete their tasks at the Paris Olympics." Li Falcon said.
Liu Guoliang, chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, said in an interview with the media that the ultimate goal of the Chinese table tennis team is the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the five events of the Paris Olympics, the Chinese table tennis team has the strength to compete for gold, but in the five events, there are challenges from many opponents, the key is how the team selects the lineup, selects the strongest, the strongest pressure resistance, and is also the most trusted by everyone. "2023 is a sprint year before the Olympics, a year that provides a great opportunity for us to observe the selection of athletes in terms of major performance, resilience to stress, and is especially critical to laying the groundwork for next year's Olympics," he said. ”
Text/Beiqing Sports Zhou Xueshuai