Paris Glory, Peak Moments
The 2024 Paris Olympics was destined to be the pinnacle of Fan Zhendong's career. At the men's singles final, the atmosphere was tense to the extreme. Fan Zhendong's eyes were like torches, pouring his years of hard work and dedication into every serve and swing. Facing strong opponents, he was unafraid and turned the tide with a 4-1 absolute advantage over Swedish player Moregard. When the last ball landed, the audience erupted in excitement. Fan Zhendong knelt down in excitement. At this moment, he achieved the grand slam dream. Years of hard work and persistence were beautifully rewarded. In the stands, his mentor Wang Hao also had tears in his eyes, rushing into the court at the first opportunity to tightly embrace Fan Zhendong. That deep kiss was the culmination of years of teacher-student affection and filled with pride for his disciple's achievements. Fan Zhendong then imitated Mbappe's celebration, fully displaying his youthful vitality and showing the world the personal side of the national table tennis players.
In the men's team final, Fan Zhendong teamed up with his teammates again. They cooperated well, executed tactics perfectly, and made their way through the competition. In key matches, Fan Zhendong, as the core force, relied on his super psychological quality and exquisite ball skills to save the situation and stabilize the team's position. In the end, the Chinese team successfully reached the top, and Fan Zhendong stood on the podium with two heavy gold medals in hand, watching the Five-starred Red Flag rise slowly. He must have been filled with mixed feelings, proud of fighting for the country's honor and gratified for his years of efforts. This battle not only achieved him personally but also continued the glory of the national table tennis team, allowing the world to witness China's strength once again.
One, Young Fame, Talent Blossoms
Born in 1997 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, to an ordinary family of diligent and honest workers, Fan Zhendong started playing table tennis at the age of six to solve the problem of going to school. It was because he was selected for the amateur table tennis team of Tongfu Middle Road No. 1 Primary School that he could enter school smoothly and reduce tuition fees. No one could have expected that this little boy who initially picked up the racket for schooling would later become a legendary superstar in the world of table tennis.
When Fan Zhendong first entered the Haizhu District Children's Palace training in Guangzhou, he showed amazing talent. In just one week, his table tennis skills far surpassed those of the trainees who had been practicing for months. Coaches Wen Haoguang and Yang Biyu were pleasantly surprised and praised him, saying, "This child has great talent, excellent feel, and is particularly good at thinking. He is a good seed for playing table tennis." After that, Fan Zhendong trained harder and harder. Besides professional training at the sports school, he would return to the children's palace to practice after school, rain or shine. In five years, he only missed five days of training, which was touching in its tenacity and dedication.
Two, Striving for Progress, the Road to Champions
(1) First Entry into Bayi, Showing Promise
In 2008, Fan Zhendong was selected for the Bayi team with his outstanding ball skills and hardworking spirit, opening a new chapter in professional training. Upon entering the Bayi team, Fan Zhendong achieved the sixth place in the team's big cycle match, showing promise and impressing coaches and teammates. After that, he trained even harder, swinging his racket tens of thousands of times every day, studying technical details, and striving to break through himself. In the 2011 National Championships, Fan Zhendong lost to Lai Jiaxin in the first round of his first participation, but after the game, he received encouragement from his senior Wang Hao, which further strengthened his determination to move forward. By the end of the year, he won the first place in the joint training big cycle match of the national second team and provincial and municipal teams, earning the precious opportunity to enter the national team.
(2) New Star of National Table Tennis, Shining on the Field
In February 2012, Fan Zhendong officially stepped into the door of the Chinese National Table Tennis Team and embarked on a glorious journey. In the same year's World Youth Table Tennis Championships, he shone like a brilliant new star on the field, saving the situation in the men's team final and scoring two points alone, helping the Chinese team defeat the Japanese team 3-0 and take home the men's team championship trophy; in the subsequent individual events, he was unstoppable, winning the men's singles and mixed doubles championships, only regretfully finishing second in the men's doubles event. In 2013, Fan Zhendong made his debut at the National Games and immediately demonstrated his powerful strength, helping the PLA team win the men's team championship, partnering with Zhou Yu to win the men's doubles crown, and breaking through to the final in the men's singles arena, although he eventually narrowly lost to Ma Long, the runner-up result had already amazed everyone. Afterwards, he repeatedly achieved remarkable results in the ITTF World Tour, winning the Polish Open and becoming the youngest men's singles champion in the history of the tour, and winning the German Open, continuously writing his own glorious chapters.
(3) Competition Experience, Forging Legends
On the Olympic stage, Fan Zhendong's figure shines equally brightly. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, although he set out as a substitute, he accumulated valuable experience; in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he fought his way through and met Ma Long in the men's singles final, though he regretfully won silver, but in the men's team competition, he joined hands with his teammates to win the championship, fully demonstrating his team spirit; the 2024 Paris Olympics can be called Fan Zhendong's peak battle, he faced strong opponent Moregard in the men's singles final, after losing the first game in a difficult situation, he quickly adjusted his state, relying on his exquisite ball skills and tenacious willpower, he won four games in a row, reversing the championship with a 4-1 victory, achieving the grand slam dream of his career.
On the World Table Tennis Championship stage, Fan Zhendong has also experienced trials and tribulations, finally achieving success. From the greenness of his debut to gradually becoming a pillar, he has repeatedly launched attacks on the championship. In his first participation in 2013, although he lost to Zhang Jike in the third round, he accumulated valuable experience; afterwards, he continued to transform, reaching the top twice in the 2021 Houston World Table Tennis Championships and the 2023 Durban World Table Tennis Championships, forging brilliance with sweat and hard work, defending the glory of the national table tennis team.
On the World Cup stage, Fan Zhendong is even more unrivaled. Having participated many times, he has won the championship trophy four times, especially achieving the feat of three consecutive championships from 2018 to 2020, creating history and becoming the new leader of the national table tennis team, allowing the world to witness China's strength.
Three, Skillful Techniques, Unique Style
Fan Zhendong's horizontal bat double-sided loop combined with fast attack play is unique in the table tennis world. His backhand is unparalleled, with violent twisting and quick striking, perfectly blending power and speed, making it impossible for opponents to guard against. In the men's singles final of the 2023 Durban World Table Tennis Championships, facing teammate Wang Chuqin, Fan Zhendong repeatedly performed his backhand king twist in key points, the ball like a bullet out of the chamber, with a whistling sound, tearing open the opponent's defense at a tricky angle, decisively securing victory. His forehand is also stable, with strong spin, precise landing points, and a combination of pulling and rushing, possessing tremendous power. In the men's singles semi-final of the Tokyo Olympics against Lin Yungu, Fan Zhendong, in a multi-shot stalemate, made a forehand side body burst, the ball like lightning streaking across, fiercely smashing onto the opponent's court, leaving Lin Yungu helpless.
Fan Zhendong's offensive and defensive transitions are even more flexible and free, able to switch from defense to offense and use offense instead of defense in an instant. In the men's singles quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics, facing the fierce fighting of Japanese ace Zhang Bzhihe, Fan Zhendong keenly seized opportunities in defense, using his backhand to quickly tear apart the opponent with a large angle, followed by a decisive forehand kill, completing a desperate counterattack, demonstrating his superb tactical qualities and adaptability, and once again allowing the world to witness the kingly demeanor of Chinese table tennis.
Four, Beyond the Court, the Real Fan Zhendong
Off the court, Fan Zhendong is polite, modest, kind-hearted, and warm-hearted, considered a quality idol by many. Before the men's singles final of the Paris Olympics, opponent Moregard looked distressed because he only brought a blue jersey. Upon learning this, Fan Zhendong offered to change into a red jersey without hesitation, doing a good deed. This warm-hearted detail left a deep impression on Moregard, who praised Fan Zhendong's character in the post-match interview. When encountering mistaken judgments by referees, Fan Zhendong never argues, always smiling to indicate, showing the style of a great country.
In life, Fan Zhendong is also filial and sensible. Despite his busy training schedule