Defeat Fan Zhendong! When Lin Gaoyuan broke the "heart demon", his desire for victory became stronger
The 2023 World Table Tennis Major League (WTT) Regular Challenge Zagreb officially ended in the early morning of July 3, Beijing time. In the men's singles final, Lin Gaoyuan fought hard for seven games and defeated world number one national table tennis teammate Fan Zhendong 4-3 to win the championship. In this competition, the national table tennis won the men's singles semifinals.
The meaning of the name "Lin Gaoyuan" is particularly good, which means: aim high. Born in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Lin Gaoyuan was promoted to the national first team in 2012, when he was not even assigned to the head coach because it was an Olympic year.
Today, 28-year-old Lin Gaoyuan has entered the 14th anniversary of the glorious collective of National Table Tennis. He once wrote on his personal social media: "14 years, former partners have also lived their own lives, maybe people grow up and remember childhood happiness is slowly increasing, this path I will continue to adhere to, perhaps, living up to the time is the best effort, and hard work is the best self." ”
Lin Gaoyuan, currently ranked seventh in the men's world, is one of the "five tigers" of national table tennis, with a left-handed horizontal board play, known for speed and backhand. He has represented the national table tennis in a number of world competitions, won the World Table Tennis Championships men's team championship and the Asian Games men's team championship, at the Houston World Table Tennis Championships, Lin Gaoyuan and Zhang An of the American team formed a transnational combination, and finally won the mixed doubles bronze medal. However, because Lin Gaoyuan was the first to get the match point in many competitions and was overturned by his opponent, he was once labeled as "not good psychological quality", and his ability and mentality were greatly questioned.
On April 3 this year, the Chinese table tennis team announced the list of participants in the Durban World Table Tennis Championships, and Lin Gaoyuan entered the ranks of singles as he wished. In the men's singles 1/8 final of the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, South Africa, Lin Gaoyuan defeated Chinese Taipei's Lin Yunru in four consecutive cities after losing a game first, advancing to the top 8, becoming one of the few classic battles in the Durban World Table Tennis Championships.
When the coach of the national team summarized the Durban World Table Tennis Championships after the competition, Lin Gaoyuan was specially praised. In this regard, the head coach of the men's team, Wang Hao, said that Lin Gaoyuan won a championship in Thailand before the World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, and in the subsequent training and preparation, he could see the desire for the game and victory from his eyes. "Through the experience of this competition, Lin Gaoyuan's tenacity and ability to read the competition have improved a lot than before." Wang Hao said.
The WTT Regular Challenge Zagreb Station is the first international event that Lin Gaoyuan participated in after the World Table Tennis Championships in Durban. In addition to the men's singles, he also partnered with Liang Jingkun in the men's doubles and formed a new combination with Wang Yidi to participate in mixed doubles. In the men's singles event, Lin Gaoyuan defeated Zhou Qihao in the 1/4 final, and he joined hands with Fan Zhendong, Xiang Peng and Lin Shidong to advance to the final four and lock the men's singles championship for the national table tennis team. In the semifinals, Lin Gaoyuan eliminated Xiang Peng 3-0, while Fan Zhendong eliminated 18-year-old Lin Shidong.
The men's singles final was played between Fan Zhendong and Lin Gaoyuan. In the first five games, Lin Gaoyuan fell behind 2-3 at one point. He then managed to win the sixth innings and drag the match into a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, Lin Gaoyuan played even better, and his near-stage speed frequently penetrated Fan Zhendong's defense to seal the men's singles title 11-9.
Talking about this high-quality duel with Fan Zhendong after the match, Lin Gaoyuan said frankly that this match was very fierce and both sides played well. He said: "I didn't think about a lot before the game, I just wanted to let go and play, and being able to win the game is also an affirmation of myself, and I gained a lot of things. When you are behind, you face it normally, and you chase and bite one point. ”
Entering the Paris Olympic cycle, the competition in China's men's table tennis has become more and more fierce, I believe that this men's singles champion will bring more confidence to Lin Gaoyuan, and I hope that after the experience of this competition, he can break the "heart demon", as long as he is more resolute and decisive, he can go steadily and far.
Text/Beiqing Sports Zhou Xueshuai