On the evening of August 4, Beijing time, in Hall 4 of the South Paris Arena in France, in the men's singles final of table tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Chinese player Fan Zhendong defeated Sweden's Moregaard 4-1 and won the gold medal! Up to now, the Chinese team has achieved five consecutive Olympic championships in this event.
This gold medal is not only the 17th gold medal for the Chinese sports delegation at this Olympic Games, but also an important milestone in Fan Zhendong's career - he has achieved a brilliant achievement in the Grand Slam.
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The honest and cute appearance made Fan Zhendong gain the nickname of "Little Fat", and in the arena, he was affectionately called "Violent Panda" by fans, because he not only has a tough style and tenacious style, but also reacts quickly and is physically flexible. The dense offensive and defensive lines demonstrate the superb strength of the world's top table tennis players.
In the first five games of this Olympic Games, Fan Zhendong passed all the way.
In the quarterfinals, Fan Zhendong thrillingly reversed Japan's Tomokazu Zhangmoto, making the majority of fans call "too much heart". From the 0-2 sky collapse start, to the 2-2 peak turn, and then to the hard win of the tiebreaker, Fan Zhendong finally completed a 4-3 counterattack. After the game, he said "I'm going to fight until the last ball".
△ On August 2, in the men's singles 1/4 final of table tennis at the Paris Olympics, Fan Zhendong defeated Japan's Tomokazu Zhangmoto.
In the semifinals, Fan Zhendong defeated the host player Felix · Lebrun. In the final, Fan Zhendong faced the biggest "dark horse" of this tournament - Sweden's Moregaard. In the first game, 7-11 and 0-1 behind, Fan Zhendong adjusted his state, won four games in a row, and won the gold medal with a score of 4-1.
△ Paris Olympics table tennis men's singles gold medal match: Fan Zhendong won the championship 4-1 Moregaard.
This gold medal not only defended the honor and dominance of the Chinese table tennis team, but also made Fan Zhendong the fifth Chinese men's table tennis player to complete the "Grand Slam" achievement after Liu Guoliang, Kong Linghui, Zhang Jike and Ma Long.
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Fan Zhendong, born in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in 1997, played table tennis on the school team when he was in elementary school, and was later selected by the Municipal Sports School. In 2008, at the age of 11, Fan Zhendong ushered in an important turning point in his life - he was selected by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Bayi Sports Work Brigade, one of the cradles of the Chinese table tennis team. This is one of the cradles of the Chinese table tennis team, and it is also a place of honor that has cultivated many champions.
Along the way, Fan Zhendong, who debuted with the name of "genius boy", has won 4 World Cup men's singles championships and 2 World Table Tennis Championships men's singles championships.
But at the same time, he also lost to Ma Long in the men's singles final of the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships by two points; In the 2019 World Table Tennis Championships, he lost to teammate Liang Jingkun 2-4 and missed the quarterfinals; At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he once again lost to Ma Long and finished second.
△ In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics table tennis men's singles final, Ma Long and Fan Zhendong won the gold and silver medals in men's singles.
Victory or defeat has long been a common thing for Fan Zhendong, who has gone through three Olympic cycles and slowly grown from "little fat" in the mouth of his teammates to "Brother Dong".
Before the quarterfinals of the men's singles table tennis at this Olympic Games, a photo prepared before the game attracted the attention of many friends. In the photo, Fan Zhendong sits quietly on the sidelines with his eyes closed, which is in stark contrast to the noisy court and active warm-up opponents.
△ Pre-match preparations for the men's singles quarterfinals of table tennis at the Paris Olympics
Fan Zhendong admits that his desire for the championship is still strong today, but the way he chases the championship will change a little and become more process-oriented. "I don't really know if I'll be able to accomplish my ideas or goals in the end, but I hope to do it every day in the process, and I can accept any results based on that."
"There is no such thing as the best path, only the one I want to take, or the one that suits me."
Perhaps, Fan Zhendong is finding the most suitable path for himself in everyone's expectations and self-requirements.
Source: Voice of China of China Central Radio and Television