Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, Paris Olympic singles qualification match
1. Background
Table tennis has a profound cultural heritage in China, and it is the national sport and the pride of the nation. In every Olympic Games, the Chinese table tennis team is a strong candidate to win gold, and it has attracted the expectation and attention of the people of the whole country. The Paris Olympics are approaching, and the singles quota of the national table tennis women's team has become the focus.
According to the ITTF regulations, each country and region can only send a maximum of two athletes to participate in the Olympic singles event. This is undoubtedly a huge challenge for the dominant Chinese women's team. Who will qualify for the valuable singles will be the focus of attention of the coaching staff and fans.
In the long Olympic cycle, the main lineup of the national table tennis women's team has undergone some changes. Young Sun Yingsha has gradually grown into world No. 1, and her outstanding performance has earned her an early singles ticket. The remaining other place was fiercely contested between Chen Meng and Wang Manyu.
Second, Chen Meng lagged behind Wang Manyu
Back in 2023, Chen Meng's form was once ahead of Wang Manyu, and she is expected to qualify for the Olympic singles. Fate always plays tricks, and Wang's performances at the Singapore Grand Slam and Incheon Championships have allowed her Olympic points to climb rapidly.
In 2024, the tide will turn. In the women's singles semifinals of the Singapore Grand Slam, Chen Meng lost to Wang Manyu and regretfully stopped; In the semifinals of the Incheon Championship, Chen Meng lost to Wang Manyu again. One defeat after another made Chen Meng gradually fall behind in Olympic points.
Until the eve of the World Cup, Chen Meng's points were 1555 points less than Wang Manyu. Although this gap is not large, it is enough to decide the fate of the two in the fierce Olympic battle. Chen Meng had to do his best in the World Cup to try to reverse the passive situation.
3. Coaching staff judging
Li Falcon, the head coach of national table tennis, said in an interview that Sun Yingsha has basically booked an Olympic singles quota. The other place belongs to the competition between Chen Meng and Wang Manyu.
"Wang Yidi has frequently lost in external competitions in the past year, and lost to his main opponent in key matches of the 2023 Durban World Table Tennis Championships, the Hangzhou Asian Games, and the 2024 Busan World Table Tennis Championships, which is also extremely rare in the history of national table tennis. After research by the coaching staff, it was unanimously agreed that she was no longer suitable to compete in Olympic singles. Li Falcon said.
Judging from the current situation, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu occupy a leading position in the Olympic singles competition. Both have won honours for their country at the Olympics and have a wealth of experience. Wang Manyu performed even better in terms of external performance and became a new force that the coaching staff had to pay attention to.
Fourth, the final battle Saudi Arabia Grand Slam
After the World Cup, the national table tennis women's team will move to the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam. This event, for Chen Meng and Wang Manyu, will be the last battle.
For Wang, she will have to do well at the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam to secure her place in the Olympic standings and earn a valuable singles qualification. If carelessness fails, she risks falling short.
And Chen Meng's situation is even more difficult. The only way for her to qualify for the Olympic singles is to win the Grand Slam in Saudi Arabia. Only in this way can she overtake Wang Manyu in points and come to the leading position in the competition for Olympic tickets.
The two are equal in strength, but there is only one place. Who will have the laugh will have to wait until the results of the Saudi Grand Slam are revealed. This ultimate showdown is destined to determine the Olympic future of Chinese table tennis.
5. Controversial voices
The Olympic dispute between Chen Meng and Wang Manyu naturally aroused heated discussions and questions from the outside world. Some fans believe that Wang Manyu's victory in the Singapore Grand Slam is suspected of internal manipulation of national table tennis.
"It seems that it no longer makes sense for Wang Yidi to reach the final. If she really wins the championship, according to the previous national table tennis regulations, Chen Meng will be able to lock in an Olympic singles quota, while Wang Manyu will be directly out. "Doubts abound.
There are also people who correct Wang Manyu's name. She has always made remarkable achievements in foreign warfare, and her strength cannot be ignored. In the group stage of the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan, her outstanding performance was impressive. It is difficult for national table tennis to give up such players.
On the other hand, Wang Manyu has the habit of blocking the ball when serving, which has also caused some criticism. Some people believe that the reason why she was able to defeat Chen Meng was because of the illegal actions.
After game replays and data, Wang Manyu did not block the ball many times, basically staying within 3 times. Her defeat of Chen Meng by a large score is enough to show that her comprehensive strength is indeed superior.