On the evening of September 26, the table tennis event of the National Games came to an end.
In the final men's singles final, Fan Zhendong defeated the "dark horse" Liu Dingshuo 4-0 to win the championship.
He reached the men's singles final of the National Games for the third time and finally won the coveted gold medal.
On September 21, in the men's team final of the table tennis event of the 14th National Games, the Guangdong team defeated the Beijing team 3-1 to win the championship.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Gang
Compared with the women's singles final on the evening of the 25th, the match in the men's singles final was actually a bit unexpected for the fans.
Liu Dingshuo, born in 1998, defeated Wang Chuqin 4:1 in the semifinals, showing his true qualities as a "dark horse".
But this night, the more experienced Fan Zhendong had the last laugh.
In the first game, Fan Zhendong frequently mobilized his opponents with a positive and backhand, and established an advantage at the beginning of the game, winning 11:3.
In the next two games, the two sides competed more and more in the "first three rebounds", and Fan Zhendong's backhand advantage was further demonstrated.
He exerted his strength at the end of the game and went to two more cities.
In the fourth game, Fan Zhendong established an advantage at the start, and did not give his opponent a chance to win the game 11:4.
Looking at Fan Zhendong's past resume, you may not believe that he is only 24 years old.
From his first appearance to a firm foothold in the talented national table tennis team,
Fan Zhendong's growth trajectory can be described in the words "young and promising".
On September 21, in the men's team final of the table tennis event of the 14th National Games, the Guangdong team defeated the Beijing team 3-1 to win the championship.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Gang
At the age of 11, he was selected by the Bayi team and joined the national table tennis team in 2012. This is where the good story begins.
At the 2013 Liaoning National Games, Fan Zhendong won the men's team and men's doubles championships, and won the men's singles silver medal; in November, he became the youngest tour men's singles champion in the history of the ITTF in the Polish Open of the ITTF. .
This year's outstanding performance made him rank among the top ten in the world, and everyone began to pay more and more attention to this young man with the nickname "little fat".
Over time, Fan Zhendong became more and more mature.
From a substitute for the national table tennis men's team at the Rio Olympics in 2016, to winning 1 gold and 1 silver as a main player in Tokyo.
As he wrote on social media after his journey to Rio, "I hope I can also overcome obstacles for the team and strive for this supreme honor for the country!"
Fan Zhendong, did it.
In the final of the men's table tennis team at the Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese team composed of Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin defeated the German team 3-0 to win the championship.
The picture shows the award ceremony.
Image source: Visual China
Fan Zhendong finished runner-up in the men's singles final of the Tokyo Olympics.
And Ma Long's words after winning the championship convinced everyone that this young man has an unlimited future.
"Fan Zhendong's strength has improved recently. In the previous two years of competition, he (against Fan Zhendong) had some psychological advantages. Now the game depends on who plays well and who has more precise details."
At the National Games, Fan Zhendong not only won this heavy gold medal in singles, but in the team arena, he also contributed to the Guangdong team's championship.
In the men's team finals, the Guangdong team led by Fan Zhendong and the Beijing team led by Ma Long met.
Fan Zhendong scored two points. In the fourth set of the match, he saved multiple match points and defeated Malone, helping the Guangdong team win the men's table tennis championship at the National Games for the first time in 24 years.
"Fan Zhendong did what he was supposed to do today, so he is worthy to win this game."
After more than a month, "Big Brother" Ma Long's praise of Fan Zhendong raised another level.
On September 20, in the men's quarter-finals of the table tennis event of the 14th National Games, the Guangdong team defeated the Heilongjiang team 3-0 to advance to the semi-finals.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Gang
Among active Chinese table tennis players, only Malone has won the singles gold medal in the National Games.
This time, Fan Zhendong wrote his name on the honor book.
Outstanding results and modest way of doing things have allowed Fan Zhendong to gain the love of a large number of fans.
After the table tennis men's singles quarter-finals ended, Fan Zhendong received letters from many fans on the spot.
He collected them one by one, put them in the bag, and brought them back to the players' lounge.
Fan Zhendong said in an interview that every game is a fresh start for him.
The National Games came to an end. At the age of 24, there will be more new stories waiting for him to continue writing in the future.
(Liu Xingchen)