The Paper's reporter Hu Jie
National Games, Table Tennis Super League, World Table Tennis Championships... After the Olympic Games, the Chinese table tennis team was not idle for a moment.
In the newly announced Houston World Table Tennis Championships participation list, Liu Shiwen, Ma Long, Xu Xin and other veterans are no longer in the squad, this national table tennis team dominated by young players, also chose to embark on the journey to the Houston World Table Tennis Championships in two ways - the vanguard troops went to participate in the wtt Slovenian competition, striving for better points and rankings.
As the first international competition in the Paris Olympic cycle, the preparation of national table tennis can not be described as meticulous, and the main theme of the Sino-Japanese showdown will be staged at the World Table Tennis Championships.
Xu Xin and Ma Long both voluntarily withdrew from the World Table Tennis Championships squad.
The race spins and the veteran takes a break
As soon as the list of participants in the Houston World Table Tennis Championships was released, the national table tennis released a very clear signal: to cultivate young people.
In the list released by the national table tennis, veterans such as Ma Long, Xu Xin, Liu Shiwen and other veterans are not among them. Malone was also quick to explain: "As a 33-year-old athlete, it becomes more important to have more targeted physical training, rehabilitation and more long-term planning for participation. This time, I and the coaching staff offered not to go to Houston with the team, and I received the understanding and support of the national team. ”
Like Malone, the other two veterans are "giving way" to young people for similar reasons. Fans and fans also expressed their understanding: "Rest, there is no rest after the Olympic Games", "Let the young people rush", "Always give the young people some opportunities"...
Since the end of the Olympic Games, the national table tennis has not even had much time to rest – in the case of Malone, after winning the Olympic Games on August 6, only 40 days apart, he picked up the racket for the National Games. The table tennis competition at the National Games ended on September 26, followed by the Table Tennis Super League on October 3.
A series of events, the consumption of veterans is self-evident, but this does not mean that they will withdraw from the national table tennis. Xu Xin said on social media that he would accompany his family during this time, and specially added a statement in the last paragraph that he did not want to retire.
And several people in the high-profile National Games, but also clearly said the idea of "will not retire for the time being". For several veterans, giving up participating in the World Table Tennis Championships, in addition to giving more young people the opportunity, is also to give themselves a "holiday" time.
After a short break, on October 31, Liu Shiwen and Ma Long both arrived in Wenzhou to participate in the training camp, and Xu Xin also rushed to the national table tennis report afterwards.
Fan Zhendong won the gold medal at the National Games.
World Table Tennis Championships, starting in Slovenia
When the old faces fade out of the fans' vision, a new generation of young people in national table tennis is also emerging.
Among the Houston World Table Tennis Championships list released this time, the oldest is Chen Meng, born in 1994, followed by Lin Gaoyuan, born in 1995.
The main force in the team comes from the "97 generation", Fan Zhendong, Zhou Qihao, Chen Xingtong, Wang Yidi were all born in 1997, and there are three "post-00s", namely Wang Chuqin, Sun Yingsha and Qian Tianyi.
Such a new set of lineups is no small challenge for national table tennis. Compared with the three Olympic champions of the women's team playing at the same time, the men's team lineup is somewhat "thin".
Qin Zhijian, head coach of the national table tennis men's team, even called the Houston World Table Tennis Championships "tuition payment", "The 5 people who signed up for the men's team to participate in the singles have not won the World Table Tennis Championships men's singles championship, and in the new cycle they stand on the same running line, hoping that they will seize every precious opportunity." In the new cycle, the team should also accelerate the growth of Mesozoic and new generation players, so that everyone can take on more responsibilities of the competition. ”
In order to better prepare for the World Table Tennis Championships, the national table tennis men's and women's teams chose to participate in the wtt Slovenian tournament held from November 1 to 14. Among them, Lin Gaoyuan, Liang Jingkun, Wang Chuqin and Zhou Qihao, four World Table Tennis Players, will participate, while the women's team will be participated by Wang Yidi and the younger Liu Weishan.
The Chinese Table Tennis Association also made the purpose very clear in the announcement: "The purpose of this team participation is to train instead of competition, adapt to the atmosphere of international competitions by actively participating, further obtain world ranking points, and take the actual participation as an opportunity to examine the practical level of young athletes." ”
Lin Gaoyuan needs more points.
In addition to training in advance to find the status, there is another detail worth playing. According to the ITTF regulations, the draw for the Houston World Table Tennis Championships is based on the world ranking deadline of November 16, that is, the ranking after the wtt Slovenian tournament.
According to the current world rankings, Zhang Benzhihe ranked second among the world table tennis players with 8709 points, while Lin Gaoyuan was close behind with 8034 points.
If Lin Gaoyuan wins the singles title in the two races of the Slovenian tournament, with 400 points in each race, he can surpass Zhang Benzhihe as the second seed of the World Table Tennis Championships.
In the 2018 ITTF Finals, Lin Gaoyuan lost 1-4 to Zhang Benzhihe, making his opponent the youngest champion in the history of table tennis. Three years later, the contest began with the wtt Slovenian tournament.
The same is true for Wang Yidi. At present, if she wins 2 consecutive championships with 6621 points in the world, her points will surpass Zhu Yuling, who is now the sixth in the world, and become the fifth seed of this World Table Tennis Championships.
In other words, the trip to the Houston World Table Tennis Championships of national table tennis began in Slovenia.
Ito aims to win the gold medal at the World Table Tennis Championships.
The masters are gathered, and the Sino-Japanese showdown is still the main theme
This world table tennis championships is the first international competition in the Americas after the Tokyo Olympic Games. Compared with the Chinese team's blood change, other associations also have a number of famous players who have not been able to participate.
Belarus's three-time World Cup men's singles champion Samsonov faded out of the game, Germany's main player Ocharov chose to retire due to ankle surgery, and Jung Young-sik, one of the three main players of South Korean men's table tennis, also withdrew from the national team.
But even so, "table tennis evergreen" Tim Bohr, Brazilian player Hugo Calderano, Sweden's Matthias Falk will all participate in the men's table tennis competition; in the women's singles field, seven women's singles world top ten players will also compete in Houston.
In this World Table Tennis Championships, the biggest opponent of national table tennis is still the Japanese team - although Mizutani Hayabusa retired and the Japanese champion mixed doubles combination was dismantled, Zhang Benzhihe and Ito Mimachi were also popular players in this tournament.
In an interview at the end of October, Ito also bluntly stated the goals of the World Table Tennis Championships: "The day after the Tokyo Olympics, I thought of my next goal, which is to win the World Table Tennis Championships in November. Hope to beat the Chinese team at the World Table Tennis Championships and win the singles and women's doubles titles. ”
Zhang Benzhihe.
It is worth mentioning that on September 24, the Japan Table Tennis Association announced its 100th anniversary vision plan on the 90th anniversary of its establishment, announcing that it will surpass China in 2031 (the 100th anniversary of the Japan Table Tennis Association) and become the world's first table tennis power.
To this end, the Japan Table Tennis Association has formulated 15 action plans to strengthen and train top athletes and build a guidance system for all ages.
The Japan Table Tennis Association also plans to launch a table tennis TV in 2022, which will broadcast table tennis competitions, documentaries and training throughout the day. If realized, this would also be the world's first professional table tennis TV channel.
Obviously, the "China-Japan Showdown" will also become the main theme of this World Table Tennis Championships after the Olympic Games.
This issue is edited by Zhou Yuhua