China News Service, Beijing, February 24th (Reporter Wang Yu) After 6 days of fierce competition, the ownership of the two singles places in the "Straight to Durban" World Table Tennis Championships trials of the Chinese Table Tennis Team was revealed on the evening of the 23rd.

Ma Long and Sun Yingsha won the men's and women's singles championships respectively, and took the lead in receiving tickets to the Durban World Table Tennis Championships.

　　Since its establishment in 2006, the National Table Tennis Direct Tournament, where all the main players have participated, has become a weather vane for examining the status of the players in the team that year.

The national table tennis journey in 2023 started with a through match full of competition, accidents, and even regrets, which made the team's preparations for the Paris Olympics more attractive to fans.

World Table Tennis Championship Men's Singles Finals.

Calmly, the main players have obvious advantages

　　It was another intense men's singles final, and the familiar "Longdong final". Ma Long and Fan Zhendong, who represent the strongest table tennis players, met again on the final stage.

However, the trend of the game was beyond the expectations of many people. 3:0, Ma Long won the game without bloodshed, and won the pass qualification again after eight years.

　　After the game, Ma Long said frankly that he did not expect such a score, "Every time I played against Fan Zhendong in the past, I always played to the end. I don't know if my performance exceeded Fan Zhendong's expectations. Because in recent years, I have played against Fan Zhendong. I have lost a lot, and I feel that I am at a disadvantage now, so I have no pressure and just fight."

　　In the previous women's singles final, Sun Yingsha, who is currently ranked number one in the world, did not encounter too many challenges. She defeated her teammate Chen Xingtong in straight sets and won the singles qualification for the Durban World Table Tennis Championships.

Compared with the melee in the mixed doubles arena, the overall trend of the singles event is more uneventful.

World Table Tennis Championships Women's Singles Final

　　In the past 17 years of the through competition, the competition system has been changed many times to achieve different training effects, including the "big cycle duel" and "elimination system + bloody battle to the end" and other modes.

This competition adopts three rounds of group matches and knockout matches to determine the champion, which not only avoids upset to a great extent but also retains the exciting knockout system.

　　In the end, Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun were among the top four men's singles, while Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, Chen Xingtong and He Zhuojia were the top four women's singles.

Judging from the list of the top four, except for Wang Manyu who had no choice but to retire due to physical reasons, the competitive state shown by the main national table tennis players gave them a clear advantage in this competition.

　　In this regard, Li Sun, head coach of the Chinese table tennis team, said: "This is a normal situation before the competition, which also shows that the main players have made careful preparations for the through match. But we have also seen the impact of the young players, only after experience There are still deficiencies in the game or in the grasp of opportunity balls."

Facing Paris to test the results of winter training

　　On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the national table tennis players had assembled in Beijing to start the penultimate winter training before the Paris Olympics.

The Grand Slam tournament and the World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, South Africa are just around the corner. The closed training in the past period is undoubtedly very important for every player who wants to qualify for the Olympics.

　　In January this year, the China Table Tennis Association announced the results of the competition for coaches of the National Table Tennis Team.

Headed by the head coach Li Sun, the new national team coaching staff composed of three generations of old, middle-aged and young coaches will lead the national table tennis team to launch an impact on the Paris Olympics in the next five hundred days.

Li Sun, Head Coach of the Chinese Table Tennis Team

　　Because of this, during the winter training, the players not only have to adjust their status and polish their skills and tactics, but it is also a critical period to quickly get in touch with the coach.

As the saying goes, the best way to test yourself is to compete. Through the 6-day through match, the national table tennis players check and make up for the gaps in winter training and gain confidence in the future.

　　The recent systematic training has made Malone more at ease, "No matter how many classes I practice every day, I can always be more focused. If this is maintained, my game state and physical condition will be better." And finally stood out. Standing on the highest podium, he also said that this championship has doubled his confidence.

　　Through the winter training some time ago and this competition, the head coach Ma Lin is also satisfied with the state of the entire women's team, "Everyone's mental state and desire for the game are very good, which also reflects their own rhythm as excellent athletes. What to do."

　　Regrettably, many main players such as Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, and Wang Chuqin withdrew from the through competition due to physical reasons. discounted.

　　Regarding the various variables that occurred during the game, Li Sun pointed out after the game that he hoped that through this game, the team could bravely face various challenges in the future Olympic preparations, "The reason why the table tennis team has won many years is to constantly overcome various difficulties. Every time I overcome such difficulties, I feel that I am one step closer to the final championship."

Ma Long was interviewed after winning the championship

Competition-based trials to discover reserve forces

　　In 2006, in order to sharpen the players' psychological quality, the Chinese table tennis team "opened the door" and held the first World Table Tennis Championships in-team through competition. The open team trials produced some candidates for major events. This is also the first time for national table tennis. Make competition "transparent".

Until today, the through race has gone through 17 years.

　　As the only athlete in the current team who participated in the "Straight to Bremen" that year, when talking about the competition of the "Straight to Bremen", Ma Long said with emotion: "Competition within the team has always been a very good tradition of the Chinese team, which can make everyone actively mobilized Instead of being selected based on qualifications and achievements in previous competitions, it gives many young athletes a direct opportunity to improve."

　　Known as the "strongest event on the surface", the National Table Tennis Direct Tournament is not only a training ground for the main force, but also a sharpening stone for newcomers.

Faced with a game that is far beyond the difficulty of the international arena, it is difficult for a player to "stand alone".

As the saying goes, "heroes come out of troubled times", being able to stand out from such a chaotic situation is also a manifestation of strength.

Lin Gaoyuan and Chen Xingtong won the mixed doubles championship

　　Whether it is the young player Xu Yingbin who was praised by the head coach of the men's team Wang Hao after the game, or the multi-pair combination that stood out from the chaotic mixed doubles arena, the continuous emergence of emerging forces and the vigorous vitality they displayed are also the national table tennis players. A valuable asset gained through the drive-thru.

　　The replacement of the competition system and encouraging more young players to stand out is the core of the national table tennis preparations for the Paris Olympics-competition, which is also a powerful booster for the team to maintain its forward momentum.

As Li Sun said: "The entire new cycle is still dominated by competition. All the main players in this competition also use the through competition (to improve themselves), which has not (appeared) in several years." (End)