During the preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games, a rather eye-catching thing happened in the Chinese table tennis circle - when the mini racket met the rubber, it actually sparked the spark of age.
On May 14th, the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced the list of participants for the Paris Olympics, so that everyone took out their calculators, Liang Jingkun and Wang Yidi, two 27-year-old "young boys" were selected as substitutes, which has to make people sigh, it turns out that time flies faster than table tennis.
Walking into the small round table kingdom of table tennis, time seems to jump very fast, and in a blink of an eye, the two former teenage idols, Liang Jingkun and Wang Yidi, have become the "old guns" in the circle, among which Liang Jingkun is one step away from the threshold of 28 years old.
At this age, they may be able to dunk on the basketball court and break the net with free kicks on the football court, but in the field of table tennis, they are placed on the bench, quietly waiting for the opportunity to play. I have to say that this kind of transformation makes people sigh, and it also reflects that the sharp blade of national table tennis in this Olympic Games has been sharpened, and the goal is to point to the gold medal, and the problem of echelon construction has temporarily pressed a "pause button".
Looking back on the past, the P card seems to have always been synonymous with youth. Li Xiaoxia and Fan Zhendong, every time they play the Olympic Games, they are like freshly baked bread, exuding the breath of youth and attracting the attention of the world.
But this year, I don't know if the years are urging people to get old, or if the tactics need to change the convention, the two 27-year-old "young people" have become our hope. This change can't help but make people wonder, is the sport of table tennis undergoing a cross-generational transformation, or is there a deep meaning behind it that we have not yet understood?
What is also striking is that as the curtain of the Olympic Games gradually opens, the echelon construction of national table tennis seems to be facing unprecedented challenges.
In the battle of the WTT Youth Challenge Gangneung Station, our young players seem to have lost their former glory, and the entire arena has become the world of Japanese and Korean table tennis, which makes people have to pay attention to the cultivation of national table tennis reserves again. All the women's singles titles in the U11-U19 were won by Japanese youngsters, which is not only a victory in a match, but also a kind of preemption for the future.
This situation can't help but remind people of the old saying: "Green is better than blue", have we reached the time to re-examine our youth training system, find out the shortcomings, and start again? In contrast, the young players of the Japanese team are like rising stars, which not only adds a beautiful scenery to the Japanese table tennis field, but also injects fresh blood into their table tennis career. The contrast between 15-year-old Zhang Benmei and her World Cup podium and our future star Kuo Man was a little weaker in the race, is a pitiful contrast.
There is no doubt that for national table tennis, the times are calling for change. This does not mean to deny the glory of the past, but to look for new breakthroughs on the basis of affirming the past. Don't we want to see that one day, when the world mentions table tennis again, we are still the Chinese team that can lead the trend and dare to challenge?
Seeing this, you may sigh that table tennis, a seemingly simple ball, contains so much knowledge. But in any case, table tennis has always been a sport that we are proud of, and I hope that in the near future, both 27-year-olds and those who are in the flowering season will be able to shine in this sport and continue to inherit the charm and spirit of table tennis. After all, no matter how times change, that dedication to victory and pursuit of dreams will never go out of style.
Let's have to mention that the little bully of the Japanese table tennis world, Miwa Zhangmoto, who is only 15 years old, has won the bronze medal in the world table tennis arena, which is simply a vivid interpretation of the four words "young and old". And our family's hopeful star, Kuo Man, seemed to have lost his way in the group stage and stopped moving. This scene seems to tell us silently: the times are changing, we must also keep up with the rhythm, we can't sit back and rely on the sky, and the cultivation of young people can't wait or delay!
The national table tennis players are undoubtedly skilled players, but why can't they catch the shining championship trophy? Is it really because we don't have a relationship, or something else? This is not only confusing, but also casts a shadow over people's hearts. If this situation continues to develop, Sun Yingsha, the table tennis superstar in our hearts, may become a "legend" in the national table tennis world - the kind of existence that is looked up to by future generations.
Looking at it, compared with Japan, the age structure of national table tennis is simply a portrayal of "uneven age and young". Sun Yingsha is 23 years old, Wang Manyu is 25 years old, Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong are 27 years old, and our backbone has obviously reached the "middle age" of table tennis. On the other hand, in Japanese table tennis, those young players like Zhang Benmei are thriving, and the age structure of their team looks more like a "youth campus".
This difference makes people a little anxious. It's not that "old" is necessarily bad, but in this sport that requires speed and passion, youth and passion seem to be more likely to be swords on the battlefield. Of course, we know that a long stream of water can become a sea, but if even the source has fallen, how can the sea be vibrant in the future?
Yes, times are moving forward in great strides, and we also seem to need a little courage to "change". With hope, cultivating young people is by no means to catch up with the trend, but to truly stand at the forefront of the times and inject more vitality and possibilities into national table tennis with fresh blood. We can't always look up at the stars, and sometimes we have to keep our feet on the ground, after all, history is made by those who have the courage to explore the unknown. Just like Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu back then, they were also a group of teenagers full of dreams and enthusiasm.
What we can imagine is that one day, at an international competition, a group of Chinese young players in their prime will stand on the podium and receive their trophies with a smile. We in the audience greeted a new round of national table tennis with the warmest applause. At that time, we will no longer just be nostalgic for the glory of the past, but truly become the guiding star of the future, illuminating the road of no return to table tennis.
So, it's time to embrace change. We respect history and dare to innovate. See the future from the young faces, make progress with young people, and make our table tennis more vibrant.
In this era of speed and passion, we believe in the power of youth, and also look forward to the future of Chinese table tennis, there will be more Zhang Benmei and Kuo Man stand up, with their hard work and sweat to create their era. After all, history belongs to those who are brave, and we look forward to being a part of this courageous one.
It can be seen that the selection of the P card for this Olympic Games reflects a clear signal - national table tennis attaches more importance to immediate results rather than long-term echelon construction. In the past, the young athletes who were selected as Olympic substitutes were all rising stars with high hopes. Now, the 27-year-old is on the bench, which undoubtedly shows that the current form is different from the past.
But in any case, I hope that young players like Lin Shidong can grow up quickly, not only to take on the heavy responsibility of national table tennis, but also to lead Chinese table tennis to new glory. How to say it, although the current situation is difficult, as long as you have a dream in your heart and a shot in your hand, it is only a matter of time before you go to the world's top arenas. We are waiting for your good news!
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