On May 7, the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced the list of athletes participating in some events of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, among which Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong will compete in the men's singles, and Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, the "Queen of Table Tennis", will join hands in the mixed doubles. In addition, Sun Yingsha automatically won the women's team seat, and Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong entered the men's team lineup. As soon as the list was announced, it immediately sparked a heated discussion among fans and experts.
[Source: Official website of the Chinese Table Tennis Association]
Although the women's singles candidates have not been announced, many people have begun to speculate on who the new Olympic women's singles will be. In the eyes of most people, Sun Yingsha will undoubtedly be one of them, after all, she is a well-deserved top main force in the Chinese table tennis world and the defending Olympic champion. As for the second place, there may be a big difference between Chen Meng and Wang Manyu.
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As the defending champion, Chen Meng's experience and mental qualities have been unanimously recognized. "In a competition like the Olympics, it's not all about age and skill, it's a big deal about experience and mentality." So an expert analyzed. Over the years, Chen Meng has repeatedly performed miraculous achievements in the competition, even if he is over 30 years old, it is not difficult to hit the Olympic gold medal.
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In contrast, Wang Manyu, who is only 22 years old, represents the future star of Chinese table tennis. There is no doubt that she has made a series of achievements on the international stage, showing unimaginable impact. However, some people have raised doubts about her recent instability, believing that experience and mental quality are important when looking at the Olympic stage.
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In addition to the unsolved mystery of the women's singles, it has also been pointed out that there was a special procedure for the selection of women's singles at the Olympic Games. For example, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the women's singles quota was selected by a special "advisory committee", and Liu Shiwen was not selected at that time, which shows the complexity of the decision-making process.
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In men's singles, can China continue its traditional strength at the Olympics? Table tennis authorities generally believe that Fan Zhendong is not in good shape and may find it difficult to win in the peak duel. "Fan Zhendong is introverted and easy to get nervous in major events." It was bluntly pointed out.
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In this regard, some fans expressed their understanding. As the top team of Ma Long and Zhang Jike, Fan Zhendong has been shrouded in their aura for many years, and it is difficult to completely open his personal sky. Now that the two legends have retired one after another, perhaps Fan Zhendong will regain his vitality and release his greatest personal value on the Olympic stage.
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Of course, it remains to be seen whether Fan Zhendong can return to the peak. In addition to him, including Lin Gaoyuan, Wang Chuqin and other national players, will compete for the championship in the men's singles event at the Olympic Games. Among them, Japan's "first brother in table tennis" Lin Gaoyuan is regarded as the biggest opponent of the Chinese team. At the Marseille World Table Tennis Championships last year, Lin Gaoyuan beat Fan Zhendong to win the championship, shocking the table tennis world.
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As for the mixed doubles event, the current arrangement is for Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha to compete, although the strength of this pair has also been questioned. There is an opinion that the mixed doubles combination of Lin Gaoyuan/Wang Manyu is more dominant. In any case, the Chinese team's road to defending their mixed doubles title has not been easy.
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On the whole, the new deployment of the Chinese table tennis Olympics has released a lot of undercurrent signals. Some people think that the main Olympic squad has been secretly divided internally? As a result, other athletes are not motivated on the professional tour, and it is inevitable that they will not be merciful. There is some truth in this analysis, after all, the Olympics is the ultimate goal of table tennis players, and it is the reason for all grinding and preparation.
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For this list, the Chinese Table Tennis Association did not explain much, only saying that the women's singles quota has yet to be finalized and will be announced according to the situation after the Saudi Arabian station. However, it is widely expected that in addition to Sun Yingsha's outstanding, Chen Meng is more likely to win the second place in women's singles.
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There is no doubt that the 2024 Paris Olympics will be an important stage for the Chinese table tennis team to create brilliance again. In the last Olympic Games, the national players won a total of 4 golds, 2 silvers and 2 bronzes, continuing the dominance of Chinese table tennis. But at the same time, many fans and experts have also warned that Chinese table tennis is facing unprecedented challenges, and the rise of strong Asian and European players will undoubtedly make every decisive battle in the future extremely difficult.
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Therefore, although this first list has caused a lot of speculation and controversy, it is also a clear sign that the national team is entering the final stage of the Olympic cycle. Whether it is public or private, I believe that the Chinese Table Tennis Association is carrying out various plans and horse planning arrangements to achieve the 2024 gold medal. After all, for this traditional powerhouse that has won many Grand Slams on the Olympic stage, the weight of each gold medal is so heavy.
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It will be interesting to see what this young but experienced national team will do in 2024. Whether it is the women's team led by Sun Yingsha or Lin Gaoyuan and other strong opponents, they will add great highlights to the Olympic Games. As Chinese, we have reason to be proud and obliged to look forward to wishing Chinese table tennis to shine again at the Paris Covenant and bloom the brilliant light of oriental sportsmanship!