Chen Meng and Wang Manyu's battle for Olympic qualification
Background
In 2022, Chinese table tennis players Chen Meng and Wang Manyu are in the prime of their careers. The two have played against each other many times in the international arena, with comparable records and indistinguishable strength. The world rankings at that time showed that Wang Manyu was narrowly ahead of Chen Meng and slightly higher than his opponent in points. With Paris 2024 just around the corner, qualifying for the Olympic Women's Singles has become the top priority and ultimate goal for the duo.
As the leaders of the new generation of Chinese table tennis, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu are expected to extend the glory of Chinese table tennis at the Paris Olympics. With only two quota places available for singles at the Olympics, it was inevitable that a fierce internal battle would ensue between the two. Who will finally qualify for the precious Olympic Games has become the focus of keen attention of table tennis fans across China.
Chen Meng's conditions for overtaking
According to the situation at that time, if Chen Meng wanted to surpass Wang Manyu to qualify for the Olympic Women's Singles, she needed to meet two basic conditions. In the next few World Tour and international tournaments, he surpassed Wang Manyu and won more World Ranking points, thus surpassing his opponent in the rankings. It's a tortuous path that requires Chen Meng to give his all and give his all in every game.
Chen Meng still has a "shortcut" to take, that is, to win the singles event at the World Table Tennis Championships in April 2023. According to the rules, the singles champion of the World Championships will qualify directly for the singles Olympic Games Paris 2024. If Chen Meng can defeat many strong opponents in this heavyweight event and win the championship in one fell swoop, he can surpass Wang Manyu and go straight to the Olympics.
Neither route will be easy. To accumulate enough points to overtake Wang Manyu on the World Tour, Chen Meng will have to perform well in every tournament and win as many titles as possible. It is even more difficult to win the championship in a top-level event such as the World Championships, which requires Chen Meng to maintain his best condition at all times and defeat the world's strongest players, including Wang Manyu.
precondition
If Chen Meng wants to achieve the goal of overtaking, he must meet two important prerequisites. The premise is that she will have to perform well in the upcoming series of important tournaments, especially in the singles event at the 2023 World Championships, and she will have to give it her all to win the title. Only then will she be able to qualify for the Olympics or overtake Wang Manyu in the points rankings.
The premise is that Wang Manyu did not perform well in these key events and slipped in the standings. If Wang Manyu continues to be strong in the next matches, it will be a difficult task for Chen to overtake her. On the contrary, if Wang Manyu suffers Waterloo many times in important events and loses a lot of points, Chen Meng will have a chance to take advantage of it.
If Chen Meng is to qualify for the women's singles at Paris 2024, she will need to gain some luck in both her own performance and the form of her opponents. She will have to give her all in every future match, and she will also need Wang Manyu to slip in form at some point. This is a difficult goal, and it requires Chen Meng to put in unimaginable hard work.
The essence of sports competition lies in the unremitting pursuit of excellence by athletes. In the battle for Olympic qualification between Chen Meng and Wang Manyu, we saw the persistent pursuit of their dreams by the two young athletes, and their determination to fight and compete on the field. Regardless of who ultimately qualifies for the Olympic Games, this internal competition is itself a testament to the tenacious fighting spirit of the athletes.