Men’s Basketball World Cup
Fan Zhendong: I have to fight for the second Cup
Fan Zhendong, 21, lost his racket like a child excitedly after winning the 2018 men’s champion World Cup in Paris with a 4-1 victory over German veteran Bohr. But soon he recovered his peace. For him, winning the World Cup in the second time was just an ordinary stop in the process of struggle. After the Rio Olympics, Fan Zhendong changed the net name of the social platform from “little fat” to “big fat”, because since then, the dream has been upgraded. He is eager to stand on the podium of higher world championships and Olympic men’s singles champion like senior brothers Malong and Zhang Jike, and then achieve Grand Slam.
Captain Malone is out, can the national champion get back the World Cup champion? The answer is obvious in Paris. The International Table Tennis Federation once wrote an article to evaluate that even if the grand slam players like Zhang Jike fade out, the Chinese table tennis team has always been a new generation. Apart from Malone, fan Zhendong will be one of the “double insurance” for Chinese team to continue to dominate table tennis. Bohr was aggressive in the opening stage, but Fan Zhendong, who was 16 years younger than him, had never been “young and old” in the international arena. Being shocked was Fan Zhendong’s “magic weapon” in the table tennis arena in recent years “. As Bohr murmured after losing the ball, “my opponent (Fan Zhendong) is really too calm……”
In the foreign War of Chinese table tennis men’s team, winning the Championship has long been a common occurrence. But for Fan Zhendong, he was able to win the World Cup twice in three years. As the youngest table tennis player in the world “, it is not easy to achieve such an achievement in the Chinese table tennis dream team of master Rulin. After experiencing the trough of 6 lianya last year, Fan Zhendong rediscovered the feel of top stars through introspection and innovation. He won the gold medal in the men’s singles of the Asian Games in Indonesia, and Fan Zhendong reappeared the style of the King. Some insiders commented that after the second runner-up of the World Table Tennis Championships and the National Games, Fan Zhendong could basically determine the position of the second main force of the national championship. But Fan Zhendong’s “first” in his heart has always been the constant pursuit. According to the competition rules within the national championship, in the same Olympic cycle, once a player wins two single championships or four single World Cup championships in the World Table Tennis Championships, then it is expected to become the main force of the next Olympic single event. Lin Gaoyuan and Wang chuqinxin were at the top. Ma Long and Xu Xin never refused to retreat. Fan Zhendong always kept a rational judgment on the competitive situation of individuals in the national market. He told the reporter of Beijing Youth Daily, “it is not to say that one or two champions can be eligible to be complacent. I still need to pay more than before and learn a lot from the old team members. Like the World Cup, the champions of the World Table Tennis Championships and the Olympic Games have a chance to win by fighting.”
When interviewed by the reporter of Beiqing daily, “chubby” was preparing to return home at the airport. Like the shy big boy who first went straight to the stadium many years ago, Fan Zhendong still didn’t say much and spoke slowly. He said, “In fact, it’s really happy to win the championship this time, but there is really nothing to be proud. I just hope to move forward a little bit and do better.” Fan Zhendong will prepare for the battle on the spot after arriving in Beijing, and then go to Sweden and Austria to participate in the race. For him, the points gained in every competition and even every championship are very valuable. He said, “I will cherish any competition, because only in this way can I win more opportunities for the performance of the competition.”
Wen/Our reporter Xiao Yi