As one of the landmark sports projects in China, table tennis has attracted the attention of audiences at home and abroad. However, with the continuous change and development of international table tennis competitions, all parties pay more and more attention to the age structure of athletes. The focus of our discussion this time is the core player of the Chinese table tennis team - 36-year-old Ma Long. Regarding the departure of Ma Long, fans have expressed their opinions, and it also reflects the core concern of the coaching staff and related parties about the urgent need for stability and upgrading of the men's team. The key to retiring or continuing to fight lies in Ma Long's own inner wishes and the realistic consideration of future development.
Since Ma Long joined the national table tennis team in 2003, this energetic and challenging male athlete has always maintained his persistent pursuit of table tennis. From the moment he won the men's singles title at the World Championships for the first time in 2009, Ma Long has won numerous accolades and praises for his outstanding skills and incomparable tenacity. As of now, Malone is a two-time Grand Slam winner and holds a number of records that no one has been able to break to this day. Behind each of these achievements is the harvest of thousands of days of hard training and sweat of Ma Long.
Although Ma Long's performance is legendary, the rules and competitive environment of international table tennis tournaments are constantly evolving. The increasingly young opponents are gradually emerging, which makes the national table tennis men's team face the pressure of changing blood. Some netizens are worried that if they face the impact of Japanese teenager Tomokazu Zhangmoto or Lin Yunru, a master of Taiwan Province of China, will Ma Long still be able to cope with it? However, Ma Long himself gave a clear answer to this, and he encouraged himself to continue to stay on the battlefield and contribute to the national table tennis.
In last year's Tokyo Olympics, Ma Long successfully defeated teammate Fan Zhendong to win the men's singles gold medal. This undoubtedly adds new challenges and it remains to be seen whether we can continue to play a central role in more key competitions in the future. Despite his remarkable achievements, Malone's personal life has not been made easy because of this. He needs to juggle high-intensity training on the one hand, and maintain a good mental state on the other. Especially when the core of the team is generally older and in urgent need of fresh blood to join, "giving way" seems to have become an inevitable topic. However, whether it can be avoided depends on the future competitive environment and the growth level of young players, and whether they are ready to take over.
Ma Long's original words in the interview were: "I hope that I can always make the greatest contribution to national table tennis until I can no longer continue." It can be seen that he is full of confidence in the future and has a deep love and pursuit for sports and table tennis. We look forward to Ma Long being able to continue to show himself on the stage of the competition in the future and win glory for the country.
Age is an immutable fact that everyone gets old, but for competitive sports, the age of the opponent should not be the only measure of strength. For Ma Long, as long as he perseveres, keeps training, and always has confidence in himself, then he is irreplaceable. We look forward to seeing that Malone's career and moments will continue for a longer time......