At 9 p.m. on April 21, the final men's singles final of the 2024 ITTF World Cup was staged at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, which was a Chinese derby. Even if Malone then pulled back a game, with Lin Gaoyuan's full competitive state and sharp backhand attack that day, people may think that Lin Gaoyuan will win the first World Cup trophy in his career with only one game left.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
However, in the fifth game, when Lin Gaoyuan scored 5 points in a row, and it seemed that the victory was in hand, Ma Long began a Jedi counterattack, and scored 8 points in a row in the case of 3:6 behind, these 8 points can be described as a miracle, every point is wonderful, some are lightning fast direct attacks, and some are delicate techniques such as swing short and side cutting. Ma Long is like a magician, and table tennis is simply a magic poker in his hand, he wants to turn over any card is what card, the Chinese team in the stands are dumbfounded, this has almost become a teaching game on how to turn the tables, even the commentator called Ma Long "the master of table tennis art".
In the end, Ma Long reversed his teammate Lin Gaoyuan 4-3 when he fell behind 0-3 and won the World Cup for the third time. So far, the Chinese team has ended this intense World Cup journey with the result of winning the double championship.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Speaking of the "hexagonal warrior" Ma Long, many people must be very familiar with it. Over the course of his career, he has won countless titles. Ma Long is the first "Super Slam" male player in the history of table tennis to win the Olympic Games, World Table Tennis Championships, World Cup, Asian Games, Asian Championships, Asian Cup, Tour Finals, and National Games singles championships, as well as the record holder for the most months and the longest consecutive months in the ITTF Men's Singles World No. 1 rankings. At the World Table Tennis Championships in Durban last year, Malone won a replica of the St. Bride Cup. This extra-long version of the resume vividly illustrates Ma Long's inspiring sportsmanship.
Ma Long's self-discipline is very admirable, behind the glamorous honor book, there is a two-point and one-line life in the dormitory and the training hall all year round, and he comes the earliest and goes the latest in training every day. Although he has an injury, with his obsession with table tennis, he has broken through himself again and again, and has been leading the national table tennis forward.
This year marks the 21st year that Ma Long has been on the national table tennis team. From 2003 to 2024, Ma Long has grown from a childish table tennis boy to the team's anchor. He not only opened up a legendary road in his table tennis career with persistence and love, but also set an example for young players with his top strength and fighting spirit. He hopes that more people will like the sport of table tennis and swing this racket for love.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Of course, Ma Long's opponent in this World Cup final, Lin Gaoyuan, who is also the main force of national table tennis, is also worth writing. Because Lin Gaoyuan had taken the lead in getting the match point in the game several times, but was overturned by the opponent, he was once labeled as "not good in psychological quality", and his ability and mentality were greatly questioned.
The author's deepest memory is the 2022 WTT Championship, Lin Gaoyuan faced Japan's "first brother" Tomokazu Zhangmoto, led 3:0 in the big score, and once led by 5 points in the match point game, and was finally reversed by Tomokazu Zhang 4:3. In that game, Lin Gaoyuan was scolded by the fans to be indecent. This time in the Macau World Cup, in the semi-finals, Lin Gaoyuan met Zhang Benzhihe again, and many fans even defaulted that Lin Gaoyuan would be eliminated again by Zhang Benzhihe.
But this time, Lin Gaoyuan did not let history repeat itself, not only swept Zhang Ben Tomokazu 4:0, but also blasted out an incredible score of 11:1 in the fourth game. This is a contest against the demons, Lin Gaoyuan finally defeated himself, which is a very remarkable achievement, even if he lost to Ma Long, but although he was defeated, he was still honored.
The meaning of the name "Lin Gaoyuan" is particularly good, which means to aim high. Born in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Lin Gaoyuan was promoted to the national first team in 2012, and because it was an Olympic year, his group of players did not even have time to be assigned to the head coach. Today, 29-year-old Lin Gaoyuan has entered the glorious collective of national table tennis for 15 years. He once wrote on his personal social media: "More than ten years have passed, and the former partners have also lived their own lives, maybe people have grown up and reminisced about the joy of childhood, and I will continue to stick to this path, perhaps, living up to the time is the best effort, and hard work is the best self." ”
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Author丨Huang Gang, senior editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News