Regarding the singles quota for the French table tennis team at the Paris Olympics, there is no doubt that the rising star of the straight board Felix Lebrun has already occupied a spot.
The other spot, his brother Alex Lebrun, is a bit up in the air, because in April, Alex will be surpassed by teammate Simon Goetz in the world rankings.
Felix Lebrun
Felix Lebrun is currently fifth in the world in men's singles with 3,202 points. There are 3 titles in the world rankings, the 2024 Goa Star Challenge, the 2023 European Games, and the 2023 Antalya Regular Challenge, with 600 points, 500 points, and 400 points respectively. Plus 700 points from the semifinals of the 2024 Singapore Grand Slam and 350 points from the semifinals of the 2023 Frankfurt Championship.
No other player in the French squad has struggled to shake his ranking, with Felix Lebrun already securing a place in the men's singles at the Paris Olympics.
Simon Goetts
Alex Lebrun
As for the other spot, his brother Alex Lebrun, will be in contention with Simon Goetz.
Alex Lebrun is ranked 21st with 1,123 points, but in April, his 350 points from last year's Macau Championship and 175 points from the Xinxiang Championship will expire, and his total points in the world ranking will be almost halved.
Simon Goetz is currently ranked 25th in the world with 880 points. Of his eight valid points in the world rankings, only 45 expired by the end of May.
So, the pressure came to Alex Lebrun's side.
Time and competition are running out for Alex Lebrun, and if he can't surpass Simon Goetz by then, the problem will be left to the French Table Tennis Association.
Alex Lebrun used to be very strong, and in July 2023, he was ranked 14th in the world. He reached the semi-finals of the 2023 Macau Championship, finished runner-up in the 2022 Tunisia Regular Challenge, and finished in the quarterfinals of two championship tournaments. He has defeated Fan Zhendong, Lin Yunru, Liang Jingkun, Zhang Benzhihe and other players. But his highlights only lasted for a while. Now it has entered a bottleneck period.