In 2024, for Sun Yingsha, it was like a rollercoaster movie filled with laughter, tears, climaxes, and troughs. Let's delve into the story of this 24-year-old girl and see how she writes her own legend in the world of table tennis.
In the first half of the year, Sun Yingsha was like a game character on a winning streak. She was invincible on the court, to the point where even Japanese ace Hina Hayata had to admit, "This girl is the number one in the table tennis world right now." Who would have thought that such a promising "Great Demon" would experience such ups and downs in the following competitions?
At the Paris Olympics, Sun Yingsha delivered an impressive performance: she won the first-ever mixed doubles gold medal with her partner and helped Team China secure the women's team gold. However, in the women's singles final, she narrowly lost to Chen Meng. This scene echoed the World Championships months earlier, but this time the roles were reversed—Sun Yingsha had previously shattered Chen Meng's Grand Slam dream, and this time, Chen Meng temporarily put Sun Yingsha's Olympic gold medal dream on hold.
After the Olympics, Sun Yingsha continued to compete vigorously in the Macau Championship and the Chinese Grand Slam. However, no one is made of iron, and continuous high-intensity matches eventually led to injury concerns.
When news of her injury surfaced during the Asian Championship women's team event, fans' hearts sank. Subsequently, we did not see her at the German Championship or the French Championship. Although she returned at the WTT Annual Finals, she was eliminated in the first round by Chen Xintong, a result that surprised everyone.
Now, standing at a new starting point, the 24-year-old Sun Yingsha faces an important choice. Theoretically, she still has a chance to make a Grand Slam at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. But everyone knows how difficult it is to pursue the Olympics at the age of 32.
On the road to the Grand Slam, Wang Manyu is considered Sun Yingsha's biggest rival. Interestingly, however, data shows that Sun Yingsha has a remarkable win rate against Wang Manyu. This is like an interesting paradox: the seemingly strongest opponent may not be the hardest to defeat.
At this moment, Deng Yaping, the "Grand Slam Queen" of table tennis, stepped forward and offered Sun Yingsha "three good remedies." These three suggestions are like a navigation chart handed down from a veteran to a junior: first, maintain a healthy body, which is the foundation of everything; second, continuously innovate your playing style because as the world's number one, all opponents will study you; finally, and most importantly, maintain a normal heart and be true to yourself.
Deng Yaping's three suggestions are like the three landing points of hitting a table tennis ball, each perfectly placed. Maintaining health is like the stance when serving, which must be stable; innovating playing style is like changing the trajectory of the ball, always giving opponents unexpected surprises; maintaining a normal heart is the most important psychological foundation in the competition.
Looking back on Sun Yingsha's 2024, we see not only the growth of an athlete but also the persistence of a young girl on the path to pursuing her dreams. Her story tells us that success is never smooth sailing; sometimes, setbacks are the best teachers.
Looking ahead, Sun Yingsha still has a long way to go. At the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, she will be 28 years old, and Wang Manyu will be 29. But age has never been the key to determining success or failure; the key lies in how well you adjust your state and how you present the best version of yourself in the competition.
In fact, everyone looks forward to seeing a stronger Sun Yingsha. Not because she needs to prove anything, but because we all know that her potential is far from being fully unleashed. As Deng Yaping said, as long as these three points are done well, transforming into a stronger player will be a natural progression.
On the road to the pinnacle, Sun Yingsha needs not only technical improvement but also the sedimentation of mentality. Like a gemstone, only after being polished by time can it shine with its brightest light.
Let's look forward to this 24-year-old prodigy girl bringing us more surprises on the court in the future. After all, in the world of table tennis, there is never a shortage of miracles, and Sun Yingsha is creating her own miracles in her unique way.
Finally, let's summarize with Deng Yaping's words: "Success does not lie in how many opponents you defeat, but in how many times you overcome yourself." We believe that as long as Sun Yingsha can persist with these three suggestions, the "Great Demon" that makes all opponents fear will surely return, and it will be even stronger than before.
This is the charm of sports and the splendor of life. On this journey of chasing dreams, we walk alongside Sun Yingsha, witnessing every fall and rise, every failure and success. Because we know that the true champion is not the god who never falls but the person who can get up after falling.