Since the 25th World Table Tennis Championships won by the Rongguo Group, 116 table tennis world champions have emerged in China. They have made great contributions to the cause of table tennis in our country, and their names have gone down in history. Most of them continue to contribute to the cause of sports in our country in different positions, and some of the elderly enjoy the joy of life and live in peace after retirement. However, according to the available information, 11 table tennis world champions have passed away, and the huge loss of table tennis at this time makes us feel regret and sorrow! The names and main achievements of these 11 world champions are described below to show their remembrance and respect!
Rong Guotuan (1937--1968)
1. Rong Guotuan, born on August 10, 1937 in Hong Kong to a seafarer family, from Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.
In 1959, the 25th World Table Tennis Championships won the first table tennis men's singles world championship for China, and the first world championship in the Chinese sports world.
In the 26th World Table Tennis Championships in 1961, Rong Guotuan and his teammates Wang Chuanyao, Xu Yinsheng, Zhuang Zedong and Li Furong won the first table tennis men's team world championship for China.
In the 28th World Table Tennis Championships in 1965, as the head coach of the national table tennis women's team, he led Liang Lizhen, Li Henan, Lin Huiqing and Zheng Minzhi to win China's first table tennis women's team world championship.
Three firsts, lyrical Chinese sports glory, forever recorded in the annals of Chinese sports history!
On June 20, 1968, Rong Guo, 31, died tragically.
Huang Liang (1954--1999)
2. Huang Liang, born in 1954, is a native of Luoyang City, Henan Province. In 1970, he joined the Henan team. He was selected for the national team in 1971. He is the main player of the Chinese team, the men's team champion of the 34th World Table Tennis Championships, and won the third place in men's singles and the runner-up in men's doubles (with Lu Yuansheng). He is the main player of the Chinese team, the runner-up of the men's team at the 35th World Table Tennis Championships.
Huang Liang was the head coach of the Henan Provincial Table Tennis Team, and in 1986, he used Deng Yaping to participate in the National Championship and won the women's team championship.
On December 23, 1999, Huang Liang died of illness in Zhengzhou at the age of 45.
Li Jingguang (1947--2000)
3. Li Jingguang, a native of Tangshan, Hebei, was born in November 1947. He was a well-known table tennis player in China in the 1960s and 1970s.
At the 31st World Table Tennis Championships in the spring of 1971, the Chinese men's team composed of him, Zhuang Zedong, Li Furong, Xi Enting and Liang Geliang defeated the host Team Japan and won the team championship.
It is worth mentioning that Li Jingguang is the first player in China to score three points in the team competition of the World Table Tennis Championships, and in the 31st World Table Tennis Championships, he even scored three Japanese masters.
After retiring from the army, Li Jingguang has been suffering from schizophrenia, never married, and his life depends on the care of his sister.
On the morning of June 6, 2000, Li Jingguang fell on the sixth floor of a residential building near the Beijing Amusement Park, and after the rescue was ineffective, he was pronounced dead.
Zhou Lansun (1939--2000)
4. Zhou Lansun: Shangraoren, Jiangxi. Born on January 23, 1939. In 1957, he joined the Shanxi team. He was selected for the national team the following year. He has been coaching the national team since 1973. He is the main player of the Chinese team, the men's team champion of the 28th World Table Tennis Championships, and has made great contributions to the Chinese team in lifting the Swasling Cup for the third time. After serving as the coach of the women's team, he trained outstanding players such as Cao Yanhua, Zhang Deying, and Qi Baoxiang.
Zhou Lansun died on October 23, 2000.
Wang Chuanyao (1931--2007)
5. Wang Chuanyao: Born in March 1931 in Yinxian County, Zhejiang Province, in the men's team competition of the 26th World Table Tennis Championships in 1961, Wang Chuanyao, Together with Rong Guotuan, Xu Yinsheng, Zhuang Zedong and Li Furong, the Chinese team lifted the Swathling Cup for the first time. In 1956, 1959, 1960 and 1961 National Table Tennis Championships and the first National Games table tennis competition, Wang Chuanyao won the men's singles championship. He was the first national men's singles champion of table tennis in New China, and maintained the record of three consecutive men's singles championships in the national championships with Zhuang Zedong.
On November 19, 2007, Wang Chuanyao died in Beijing at the age of 76 due to ineffective medical treatment.
Zhuang Zedong (1940--2013)
6. Zhuang Zedong: Born in 1940 in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.
In 1957, he won the men's singles championship at the National Table Tennis Championships. At the end of 1959, he participated in the Scandinavian International Table Tennis Championships and won the men's singles championship, men's team and men's doubles championship.
In 1961, he won the men's singles championship and the men's team championship at the 26th World Table Tennis Championships.
In 1963, he won the men's singles championship and the men's team championship at the 27th World Table Tennis Championships.
In 1965, at the 28th World Table Tennis Championships, he won the men's singles, men's doubles and men's team championships.
In 1971, he won the men's team championship at the 31st World Table Tennis Championships. He has made outstanding contributions to the cause of table tennis in China.
In 1984, he was appointed as the table tennis coach of Beijing Children's Palace. On October 30, 2002, Zhuang Zedong International Table Tennis Club was established. In June 2007, he was hired as the head coach of the Chinese Star Table Tennis Team.
On February 10, 2013, Zhuang Zedong died of cancer in Beijing.
Liang Lizhen (1945--2017)
7. Liang Lizhen: Born in Guangzhou in 1945, a native of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
In 1960, he was selected from the Guangdong Table Tennis Team to join the National Table Tennis Training Team.
In 1963, she won the women's singles championship and doubles title in the table tennis competition of the Emerging Forces Games
In 1965, at the 28th World Table Tennis Championships, he was one of the main players of the Women's Team Champion Chinese Team.
On January 26, 2017, Liang Lizhen unfortunately passed away at the age of 72.
Xi Ending (1946--2019)
8. Xi Ending: Born in Tangshan, Hebei In 1946, he entered the national team at the age of 19 and won the men's team championship of the 31st World Table Tennis Championships in 1971 and the men's singles champion of the 32nd World Table Tennis Championships in 1973. Xi Ending was one of the main members of the Chinese table tennis team in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the men's singles competition of the 32nd World Table Tennis Championships, he won the men's singles championship, becoming China's first direct-shot anti-rubber men's singles champion.
In 1975, Xi Ending began to coach, and brought out Olympic champions such as Chen Longcan, Wei Qingguang, and Chen Jing, and made great contributions to the re-emergence of the Chinese team.
On October 27, 2019, Xi Ending died at the age of 73 due to ineffective medical treatment.
Zhang Li (1951--2019)
9. Zhang Li: Born in 1951 in Xinxiang City, Henan Province, he joined the Henan Provincial Table Tennis Team in 1964 and was selected to join the National Table Tennis Training Team in 1965. In 1975, 1977 and 1979, the Chinese table tennis team participated in the 33rd, 34th and 35th World Table Tennis Championships and won the women's team championship team. The 35th World Table Tennis Championships co-won the women's doubles championship with Zhang Deying. Since 1981, he has been an assistant coach and coach of the national table tennis team.
He died on February 13, 2019 at the age of 68 due to ineffective lung cancer treatment.
Wang Zhiliang (1940--2020)
10. Wang Zhiliang: A native of Xushui, Hebei Province. Born in 1940.
He was selected for the national team in 1958. At the 27th World Table Tennis Championships, he teamed up with Zhang Xielin to win the men's doubles championship, which is also the first world table tennis men's doubles champion in the history of Chinese table tennis, and the only men's doubles champion who cuts the ball.
In 1969, Wang Zhiliang served as the head coach of the Chinese women's table tennis team, and in 1971, he led the Chinese women's team to the 31st World Table Tennis Championships, winning the women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles championships.
On September 15, 2020, Wang Zhiliang unfortunately passed away due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases at the age of 80.
Hu Yulan (1945--2021)
11. Hu Yulan: Born in 1945 in Jinzhou, Liaoning.
At the 1973 World Table Tennis Championships, Hu Yulan won the championship by defeating czech star Grofova 3-0 in the women's singles final.
In 1975, at the 33rd World Table Tennis Championships in Kolkata, India, she won the women's team championship as a main team member and teammates.
After retiring from the military, Hu Yulan served as the coach of the Chinese table tennis team, and during the coaching of the Chinese team, Hu Yulan trained geng lijuan, Liu Yang, Yan Guili and other table tennis celebrities.
On October 18, 2021, Hu Yulan died of cancer at the age of 76.
Finally, let's pay tribute to the deceased table tennis seniors! Rest in peace! Latecomers will take your battle flag and fight to create glory!