Liu Guozheng, this table tennis genius who is not well known to the general audience. In the long history of Chinese table tennis, there are many dazzling star players, such as Liu Guoliang, Kong Linghui, Zhang Yining, Ma Long, Zhang Jike, etc., and their brilliant achievements are remembered by people. However, there are also some relatively low-key heroes hidden in the field of table tennis, and Liu Guozheng is one of them.
Liu Guozheng, born in 1980, appeared on the table tennis stage at the same time as Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui. His journey to table tennis began in childhood, and with the encouragement of his family, he was introduced to table tennis training at the age of six. Initially, he was just there to cultivate interest, but soon showed amazing talent. After five years of training, 11-year-old Liu Guozheng has already stood out from his peers and is even able to outperform adult competitors. This talent made him quickly enter the Hubei provincial team and become a well-honed jade.
Liu Guozheng's psychological quality is extremely strong, no matter how tense the game is, he can always stay calm, play every ball well, and finally win. This state of mind is hard to find among players of the same age. In addition, Liu Guozheng's physical fitness is also very good, perhaps because he has been exposed to table tennis since he was a child, his physical strength is very outstanding, and he can often burst into incredible strength in the final stages of the game.
However, compared to the national team star at the time, Liu Guozheng's technique was not the best. But it is with his psychological quality and physical ability that he has created a miracle in the future.
Different from the supremacy of today's national table tennis, the competition in table tennis was more fierce at that time. Japan, Germany, and even South Korea have all shown great strength. Although Chinese players mostly dominate the championship, competition remains fierce. However, Liu Guozheng's final moment of fame occurred in the 2001 World Table Tennis Championships, and this time the competition was given special significance.
The year before, the ITTF announced the switch to a 40mm ball, a small change that was a huge challenge for Chinese players. This is because the skill and feel of a table tennis player, who has adapted to the 38mm ball for many years, suddenly changes size, leading to a retraining of the technique. At that time, the serve of Chinese players has always been unique, with tricky angles and extremely fast speed. But the new big ball slows down significantly when served, giving the opponent more time to react. This is a disadvantage for Chinese players. It was at this critical moment that Liu Guozheng became a key figure in the national team.
The 2001 World Table Tennis Championships became an opportunity for the Chinese team to take revenge. In the semifinals, the Chinese team was in a desperate situation, and Kong Linghui, who played first, made frequent mistakes, which buried the good situation. Fortunately, Liu Guoliang and Ma Lin played normally and won two cities in a row, preserving hope for the Chinese team. Yoo must defeat South Korea's Kim Ze-so, a veteran who defeated Kong Linghui.
Faced with great pressure, Liu Guozheng slowly stepped onto the arena. In the battle with Kim Ze-so, he showed strength beyond the imagination of the audience, and he did not fall behind back and forth. The score was tight, and Liu Guozheng eventually won the crucial victory with a stunning performance, taking the Chinese team to the final.
This match is considered to be one of the most bloody matches in the history of table tennis in China, and Liu Guozheng's name has spread throughout the country since then. This backwater battle allowed Liu Guozheng to stand firm, become the main force of national table tennis, and won a number of international championships one after another.
However, the athlete's career is full of injuries. In 2005, Liu Guozheng was hospitalized with injuries and his condition declined. Eventually, he chose to retire in 2008, ending a brilliant career.
After the end of his career, Liu Guozheng's life was equally happy. He married his young wife Lu Lu, and both became coaches of the table tennis team, continuing to contribute to the cause of table tennis in China.
Liu Guozheng's story tells us that no matter what difficulties we face, as long as we have a strong will and enough persistence, miracles will always happen. With firm belief and courage, he created his own legend and became an indelible part of the history of Chinese table tennis.