In the early morning of August 7, Beijing time, in the 1/8 final of the table tennis men's team at the Paris Olympics, the Germany men's team lost 0-3 to Sweden and was eliminated. With this, Germany veteran Boll ended his last Olympic journey. From Kong Linghui and Liu Guoliang to Ma Lin and Wang Hao, to Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin, the 43-year-old table tennis veteran has played against several generations of Chinese players.
Bol (Source: WTT)
Against Sweden, Bol played in both doubles and singles, but could not help Germany to victory. According to Bol's previously announced career plan, he will end his international career after the Paris Olympics, then compete in Germany before retiring in 2025. It also means that the European table tennis legend has played his final match on the international table tennis stage.
After the match, clips related to Bol were played on the big screen to pay tribute to the table tennis legend, and the audience also stood up and gave Bol a round of applause. When the camera showed Bol, the veteran's smile was relentless, and he thanked the fans for their support.
Pol in 2002 (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
According to the data, Bol was born on March 8, 1981, and is one of the few "post-80s" who is still active and maintains a high level in today's table tennis world. He started learning to play table tennis at the age of 4 and showed great talent at an early age. Bol is the foreign player who has beaten Chinese players the most times since the beginning of the 21st century, and the opponents have played from the post-60s to the post-00s.
In 2002, he won the table tennis singles world championship for the first time, and in 2005, he won the World Cup again with two kings and one horse (Wang Hao, Wang Liqin, Ma Lin). From Kong Linghui and Liu Guoliang to Wang Liqin, Ma Lin, Wang Hao, to Fan Zhendong, Lin Gaoyuan, and then to Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong...... Bol has played against several generations of Chinese players and defeated most of the main Chinese men's table tennis players.
Regardless of who bears the flag in the Chinese men's table tennis, Bol is one of their strongest opponents. Later, he became one of the oldest table tennis players active on the international stage.
In terms of honors, Bol has won a total of 4 Olympic medals (2 silvers and 2 bronzes), won the World Cup men's singles championship twice, stood on the podium of the World Table Tennis Championships 9 times (6 silvers and 3 bronzes), and ranked first in the world. The Paris Olympics will be his seventh and last.
"Marco Polo" combination (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
It is worth mentioning that although he is Germany, Bol has also teamed up with Chinese players many times. In the 2015 and 2017 World Table Tennis Championships, Bol and Ma Long formed the "Marco Polo" combination. During the 2024 WTT Chongqing Championship, Bol trained with Wang Chuqin. At the beginning of May, he and Fan Zhendong watched Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga match on their computer. He also called his old friend Xu Xin the "People's Artist......
On June 2 this year, Bol wrote on his Weibo: "In my career, I have thoroughly enjoyed every match I have played in China, I have learned a lot from table tennis, and I have learned a lot from you and your culture. Thank you so much for your support over the years. China will always be my second home! ”
Bol carries the youth of many Chinese table tennis fans. From a weak teenager to an unconfused year, the same is true of the fans who have accompanied Bol all the way. "Is the person who accompanied you to watch Bol play back then, still around?" A "post-80s" Chinese fan said, "Bol has accompanied us throughout our youth. ”
Jimu News integrates Xinhua News Agency, CCTV Sports, Shangguan News, People's Daily Online, netizen comments, etc
(Source: Jimu News)