Chinanews.com, Tianjin, January 26th, title: "Chinese Ping Pong" brought hot events in the table tennis world Ma Cultural Revolution: I have been passionate all my life and now I am concentrating on being a "gardener"

　　Author: Zhang Shaoxuan Cui Jingsheng

　　On May 8, 1995, Tianjin.

The Chinese team and the Swedish team met in the final of the 43rd World Table Tennis Championships men's team.

In the first game, Wang Tao lost to Waldner. In the final of the best of 5 games, the second game became particularly critical.

Tianjin national player Ma Wenge withstood the pressure and defeated Persson 2-1 with his tenacious will, tying the two sides to 1-1...

The Ma Cultural Revolution in the athlete period.

Photo provided by the interviewee

　　During the Spring Festival, a movie called "The Jedi Counterattack of Chinese Ping Pong" was released, bringing the struggle history of the older generation of Guoping to the front of everyone's eyes again.

Based on the true story of the National Table Tennis Men's Team during the trough period in the early 1990s, it recreates the story of China's "Five Tigers of Men's Table Tennis" in the 43rd Tianjin World Table Tennis Championships passing through and defeating the table tennis overlord "Sweden Men's Team" in the final. Bloody scene.

　　A past event belonging to the Swaythling Cup, a love for table tennis, and a passion for the honor of the country all set off another "national football boom" this Spring Festival.

Chinese men's table tennis team and Swaythling Cup.

Photo provided by the interviewee

　　On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, in the Ma Wenge Table Tennis Training Base, the impact of table tennis balls and rackets can be heard endlessly.

When the reporter saw this meritorious player in the Chinese table tennis world, he was correcting the hitting movements for the children.

"The 43rd World Table Tennis Championships was a relentless counterattack of the national table tennis team, and it was also a life without regrets in my career. But now, I want to be a table tennis 'gardener', to dig out good seedlings for the national table tennis team, so that children who like table tennis We can all benefit from this sport.”

　　1995 was the counterattack and the beginning

　　In Ma Wenge's memory, the "Flying Saucer Museum" in the spring of 1995 is a place he always dreams of.

That year, the Chinese team won seven gold medals at the World Table Tennis Championships, and the Chinese men's table tennis team won the long-awaited Swaythling Cup.

　　Ma Wenge, born in 1968, began to learn to play table tennis with his elder sister at the age of 6. At the age of 11, he entered the Tianjin team and won the national junior championship twice.

In 1985, after winning the National Table Tennis Championship, Ma Wenge was selected for the national team.

　　In the 1980s, the horizontal loop game in Europe rose strongly, and a large number of masters such as Waldner, Gatting, Gruba, Seve, and Roskoff emerged.

In addition, South Korea's Liu Nankui, Jin Zezhu and others formed a siege to the Chinese men's table tennis team.

　　In April 1991, at the 41st World Table Tennis Championships held in Chiba, Japan, the Chinese Men's Table Tennis Team lost to Czechoslovakia in the rematch and finally finished seventh, creating the worst record in the World Championships.

In 1995, the Chinese men's table tennis team made a comeback at the Tianjin World Table Tennis Championships. For Ma Wenge, it was a shame, and it was an opportunity for fans to witness that Chinese table tennis never gave up.

　　Recalling the game that year, Ma Wenge said frankly that the pressure was huge. When the overall score was 0:1 behind, he was not fully sure of the victory when he played second. passive.

"I started playing relatively smoothly in the first game. I was leading until 18:13, but was reversed by Persson. In the second game, I fell behind 4:9. It can be said that I was standing on the edge of a cliff."

　　However, in this "on the edge of the cliff" game, Ma Wenge finally defeated Persson 2:1, which also stabilized the morale of the Chinese men's team.

"At that time, the audience was full, and there were many people outside the venue. This was a game in my hometown, and I couldn't let my parents down. Perhaps, what supported me was my breath, the spirit of not admitting defeat. Even if I was nervous, my emotions were strong. It's hyperactive, with nothing to do but focus on the billiard table and the ping pong balls jumping on the table."

　　In the end, with Wang Tao's 2-0 victory over Persson in the deciding game, the National Table Tennis Men's Team took home the Swaythling Cup after a 6-year absence.

After scoring the last point, Wang Tao threw the racket into the air, and the scene of Ma Wenge and others rushing towards their teammates with tears in their eyes is still a classic in the hearts of countless people.

　　In the 43rd World Table Tennis Championships, 126 countries and regions sent players to participate. There were more than 1,000 athletes. A total of 3,996 games were played, and more than 450,000 people watched the game.

570 reporters from all over the world came to the scene to interview, and more than 2 billion people watched the game through TV broadcast.

That year, China's table tennis returned to its peak, and has been soaring all the way since then, standing still.

Ma Wenge guides the team members in the training base.

Photo by Cui Jingsheng

　　Pass on my love without hesitation

　　After the 43rd World Table Tennis Championships, Ma Wenge could no longer maintain the training intensity of the national team due to years of accumulated shoulder injuries. In order to maintain his sports status, he chose to play in Germany.

For more than ten years, he has always maintained the strict self-discipline of an athlete, does not smoke or drink, and his competitive state has not declined in the slightest.

　　Clubs such as Ossenhausen, Glenzao, and Liebherr have all left Ma Wenge in the battle, and his club has always maintained the top three position in the German Bundesliga rankings, and has a close relationship with Waldner. , Boll and other athletes have wins and losses.

In Germany, he has won the German Cup, the German League and the European Cup, and is a star player of many clubs.

　　The experience of working hard overseas made Ma Wenge realize that the road to the development of Chinese table tennis is to cultivate the foundation and lay a solid foundation.

Today, 55-year-old Ma Wenge is engaged in youth table tennis training in his hometown. In his words, "I am now concentrating on being a gardener, and I hope to contribute to the development of China's table tennis, and to serve Tianjin and the national team. More reserve talents will help the national table tennis continue to prosper."

　　In Ma Wenge's table tennis training base, 10-year-old Fang Yuyang is having a friendly training match.

Regardless of the young girl's young age, she is already a top eight player in the table tennis event of the 2022 Tianjin Games.

In 2020, Ma Wenge's training base will be established, and there are still many potential players who have been discovered like Fang Yuyang.

Ma Wenge participated in the premiere of "Chinese Ping Pong: Jedi Counterattack".

Photo courtesy of the producer

　　Ma Wenge insisted on cultivating disciples from junior players with zero foundation.

At present, there are more than 50 children in the base ranging from 5 to 12 years old, and many of them have become outstanding in Tianjin district and municipal competitions.

　　"I joined the Tianjin Sports Team at the age of 11 to receive regular table tennis training. At that time, the conditions were difficult. There was no air-conditioning in summer and insufficient heating in winter. Every time I sweated after training, I had to line up with all the sports teams to take a shower in the bathhouse. Now , training and living conditions are much better than in the past, so I often tell my disciples to cherish the present."

　　In order to improve the physical fitness of the children under training, Ma Wenge will learn from the training methods of the national team and the city team, such as small steps, high leg lifts, back kicks, strides, and back and forth running.

During the training, he considers himself a strict coach, and he must be meticulous in training. Even if the children do not take a professional path in the future, he must let them gain something and be worthy of the sport of table tennis.

　　In Ma Wenge's view, in China, there is a good table tennis atmosphere, and there are many opportunities for children who like this sport to show off.

The only way to follow the path of table tennis is to persevere and cherish it.

　　"I hope that the competition system for youth competitions can be more sound. Children of all ages can participate in their own competitions, learn in the competition, and hone their will. Table tennis not only requires mature technical and tactical levels , You must maintain a high level physically and mentally in order to defeat your opponent."

　　Ma Wenge hopes that his disciples will be able to build a solid foundation no matter what kind of work they will be engaged in in the future.

After working in youth table tennis training for three years, his next goal is to take the children to a wider platform, take them to participate in more competitions, challenge themselves, and make everyone like the hard-working Own.

(Finish)