Table Tennis: Super Grand Slam

Chapter 186: Going to the 2012 World Table Tennis Team Championships in Dortmund

The 8th Asian Table Tennis Championships in 2012, which lasted for 20 days, ended with another great victory for the Chinese national table tennis team.

前19届亚乒赛，国球手先后6次囊括七项冠军，2月23日至3月1日在夏国濠江举行的第20届亚乒赛，夏国队夺得7枚金牌，再次显示乒坛霸主风范。

Subsequently.

The Chinese national table tennis team returned to Shenzhen again for closed training.

On March 3, the Chinese men's table tennis team announced the list of players participating in the World Table Tennis Championships in Dortmund.

Li Ying, Meng Li, Liang Long, Kong Fengge and Xu Guinian were all shortlisted for the five-man team preparing for the Olympics.

Unlike the direct qualification to Moscow two years ago when the teams had to play one by one, the Chinese national table tennis team did not have a direct qualification event in the Olympic year. However, the lineup for this World Table Tennis Championships is almost the same as it was two years ago, and the five-man list was exactly the lineup that was finalized at the end of last year in preparation for the London Olympics.

For the women’s table tennis team, the top five main players were also announced.

Led by Wang Xianlan, five main players including Ji Chuanxia, ​​Qiao Yuning and Xu Mingyue were selected without any suspense, which is very different from the Moscow World Table Tennis Championships two years ago.

because.

Wang Xianlan was selected as the leader of the women's table tennis team for the first time and led the team.

but.

At present, she is not the captain of the women's table tennis team.

Because when it comes to women's table tennis, seniority is still more important.

At the last World Table Tennis Championships in Moscow, the Chinese women's table tennis team lost to the Singapore team in the final and missed the chance to win nine consecutive championships. However, their goal in this World Table Tennis Championships in Dortmund is undoubtedly to regain the Koblenz Cup.

As for the men's table tennis team.

Li Ying stands out.

After Chen Daqian retired from the national team, the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang left the captain idle for nearly two years, waiting for Li Ying to grow up.

Li Ying's achievements are unique in the history of Xiaguo national table tennis and even in the history of men's table tennis.

Even though he has not won an Olympic singles gold medal yet, his two World Table Tennis Championships men's singles titles and three consecutive World Cup men's singles titles have already proved Li Ying's strength.

For the Xiaguo men's table tennis team, defending the Swaythling Cup is the primary goal, but more importantly, it is to train for the Olympics in five months and select the third person to participate in the Olympics.

After the 2011 World Table Tennis Championships in Rotterdam, Li Ying became the first singles player to be registered for the London Olympics due to her world ranking and Monri became the first singles player to be registered for the London Olympics after careful consideration by the coaching staff.

In the competition for the third place, Liang Long and Kong Fengge, currently ranked second in the world, are the favorites. The World Table Tennis Championships is the most important competition before the Olympics. Whoever performs well will greatly increase their weight in advancing to London. Who of the two will become the third place in the Olympics will also be decided after the World Table Tennis Championships.

The World Table Tennis Championships will kick off in Dortmund, Germany on March 3 and end on April 25.

3 month 12 day.

Pengcheng.

The closed training camp is about to end.

The Chinese men's table tennis team arranged an intra-team competition to test the results of the closed training and to conclude the closed training.

The men's table tennis team is having an intra-team competition.

The men's team head coach Dong Yaobang is currently being interviewed by a reporter from CCTV Sports Channel.

The CCTV reporter asked with a smile: "Is this probably the most intense competition for a spot on the national table tennis team in recent Olympic Games?"

Men's team head coach Dong Yaobang said with a wry smile: "This time is not like 2008, when the list of players was ready to be announced before the registration; nor is it like this World Table Tennis Championships, where all five players can be sent out without any suspense. Our current situation is that even the first two players who have registered have hidden dangers. Everyone has their own problems, and the internal competition is indeed cruel."

"Because every day I think about the Olympic roster, I am thinking about who to choose and who to use. I think about it for two days and then add another one. I hope May 5th will come soon, then we don't have to choose anymore, and everyone will feel at ease. Maybe my hair can go back to black."

The CCTV reporter asked: "Who should go on stage then?"

Men's team head coach Dong Yaobang: "We will know how to choose once the list is released!"

The CCTV reporter asked: "The World Table Tennis Championships is an important indicator for determining the London Olympic roster. If it has a weight in the decision-making process, then what is its approximate proportion?"

Dong Yaobang, head coach of the men's team: "It can be about half. If a player we already trust performs well in the World Table Tennis Championships, we certainly have reason to trust him more. For some players who are under observation, we will feel more relieved if they perform well, and we will be a little worried if they don't perform well. But this worry depends on whether the coaching staff has the confidence to let them adjust in the Olympics."

CCTV reporter: "So what should the players pay attention to in the World Table Tennis Championships?"

Dong Yaobang, head coach of the men's team: "All they can do is to do their best. It is impossible for all five players to play at the same time, but you must seize the opportunity when you are allowed to play. Generally speaking, the World Table Tennis Championships is the best platform. There are many people paying attention to it. It is a good training for the athletes' psychological qualities. This kind of training is closer to the Olympics."

CCTV reporter: "The outside world believes that Kong Fengge and Liang Long are the hot candidates for the third place in the Olympic Games. The two tied in the Asian Championships team competition, and neither of them failed. Kong Fengge also won the runner-up in the singles. Does this mean that Kong Fengge has the upper hand in the current competition?"

Dong Yaobang, head coach of the men's team: "We will not decide the final Olympic roster based on the win or loss of a game or a match. We also need to consider the overall needs of the team, the players' performance in the competition, the overall trust, the role in the team, etc., including the doubles match in the team competition. We also need to see whether they have the ability to score points, assess the risk factor, and comprehensively evaluate and select the most appropriate players."

CCTV reporter: "Mong Li won the silver medal in two Olympic Games. You said before that you would help him get rid of the shadow completely. You would no longer protect him like before, but take the initiative to expose his scars."

Dong Yaobang, head coach of the men's team: "Mengli's psychological trauma has not been completely cured. We have done a lot of work for him in terms of details. But no one is perfect. The five of us have our own problems. For us, we need to minimize the hidden dangers. In fact, the opponents also have various problems. They have more problems than us. Our work is just to be more delicate. So there is no need to say too much about an athlete. Saying too much will increase his psychological pressure."

CCTV reporter: "Except for Li Ying, the other four players are now evenly matched. It is possible that none of them will lose in the World Table Tennis Championships, or they may all have problems. So in this situation, how should the veterans and the youngsters choose?"

Dong Yaobang, head coach of the men's team: "Once the list is out, you will know how to make choices. No matter who is chosen, the two people who were eliminated will have regrets. They have their own advantages and disadvantages, but they were not selected because their disadvantages are definitely greater than their teammates. Moreover, this Olympics is different from the previous ones. Singles will be played first and then the team. No matter how hard you play, there will be a player who is not the champion in the best result. We also have to consider whether this person's mind and temperament can help him quickly get out of the shadow of failure and play well in the subsequent team competition. There are technical and tactical, psychological, ideological, realm, team strengths and weaknesses and other factors to consider, which is very complicated."

Afterwards, the national table tennis team set out to return to the imperial capital.

After returning to the imperial capital.

Li Ying said goodbye to Chen Daqian and went home.

then.

Wang Xianlan also came to Li Ying's home and spent a few days in a shameless manner.

It can be regarded as relieving the pain of missing someone during this period of time.

3 month 16 day.

At 9:20 this morning, the Xia Guo Table Tennis Team set out from the Imperial Capital Temple of Heaven Apartment for the World Table Tennis Championships. They will first go to the Schlager Table Tennis School in Vienna, Austria for a week of adaptive training to adjust to the time difference, and then will go to Dortmund, the competition venue, to prepare for the World Table Tennis Championships which will start on the 25th.

After arriving in Austria, the Chinese national table tennis team began to adjust to the jet lag.

During training, the five main players naturally train separately, with their respective head coaches watching over them.

Outside of training, Mengli, Liang Long, Kong Fengge and Xu Guinian often gather around Li Ying. It is obvious that the other four main players of the national table tennis team are centered around Li Ying.

While eating.

Li Ying smiled and said: "It is obvious that the 51st Table Tennis Team World Championships will start soon. This time our top opponent, the German team, will appear as the host."

"Four years ago, when our men's table tennis team raised three five-star red flags at the same time in the Olympic singles event as the host country, many people began to believe that the men's team of Xiaguo was far superior to its opponents in terms of competitive strength. However, the practice of the past four years has shown that the men's table tennis team of Xiaguo has never lacked opponents, whether in Asia or in the world."

After these words were spoken, the four main forces were deeply moved.

Meng Li smiled and said: "In recent years, as players from various countries gradually adapt to inorganic glue, the gap between top players has gradually narrowed. This trend has become increasingly obvious since the second half of last year. In important competitions, some of our national table tennis team's main players often lose points in foreign competitions, especially in last year's team World Cup. I lost to the German twins Dimitri in the men's team semi-finals."

Liang Long also smiled and said, "Currently, in Asia, the team that can pose the greatest threat to us as a whole is the Ryu-Yakura team, followed by the Goryeo team!"

Kong Fengge smiled and said: "Compared with Sakura High School, the German team has three very prominent advantages. First, the leader is still as powerful as ever. Second, Dimitri has made a relatively obvious breakthrough in the past year and has won many open singles championships. The third is the host advantage of good timing, location and people."

Xu Guinian added: "Four years ago, the Chinese men's table tennis team was able to raise three five-star red flags at the same time in the Olympic singles events. Strength was certainly the main factor, but the outstanding host advantage was also an indispensable aspect."

Li Ying concluded: "However, this time it is the German team's turn to be the host, and our men's team has also noticed this in preparation. For this reason, 10 days before the opening of the World Table Tennis Championships, we came to Austria and carried out adaptive training at the Schlager Table Tennis Academy."

"It is worth noting that in the London Olympic cycle, all four of you have lost to Thiem, and Thiem is the only overseas player to have done so in the past four years."

"In addition, the newcomer Dimitri has made our five main players of the Xia team increasingly feel difficult to deal with. This time the German team is fighting on their home turf. If the strong dragon wants to suppress the local snake, we must be extra careful in every small detail."

"The German team's home advantage is not limited to Germany. As the only team in Europe that can compete with our men's team, the German men's table tennis team has a very high support rate in Europe. This means that at this year's London Olympics, the German men's table tennis team can still enjoy the treatment of a host country. Therefore, this World Table Tennis Championships in Dortmund will be a good opportunity for our men's team to prepare for the Olympics in a targeted manner."

After a week of adaptive training.

3 month 23 day.

The 51st World Team Table Tennis Championships will kick off on the 25th in Dortmund, a major industrial city in western Germany. The Xia Chinese men's and women's teams are still the favorites to win the championship.

However, the suspense of the championship will always be revealed at the last moment, and the World Table Tennis Championships, as the last important competition before the London Olympics, will push the suspense of the competition for Olympic places to a climax.

Words like "reincarnation" or "fate" have long lost their meaning for the Xia national table tennis team that has won numerous gold medals. However, when the national table tennis players traveled to Dortmund from the Schlager training base in Austria on the 23rd.

On the bus, Li Ying smiled and said, "For some reason, I feel like I'm on a pilgrimage!"

Dong Yaobang, the head coach of the men's team, smiled and said: "In 1959, Rong won the men's singles championship at the 25th World Table Tennis Championships held in Dortmund, becoming the first world champion won by Xia Guo in a global sports competition."

Chen Daqian also smiled and said, "Time flies. Today, Xiaguo's sports have already reached countless levels. Unless Xiaguo's men's football team can win the world championship, any other world championship title may not be able to recreate the sensation caused by Rong's predecessor's victory."

This World Championships is only about 4 months away from the London Olympics, so the players' performance in this competition will undoubtedly directly affect their qualification for the Olympics.

Although Li Ying has definitely qualified for the competition, he is extremely excited when he thinks about the Olympics four months later.

The Olympics!

every Quadrennial.

It represents the highest sporting event in human history today.

The Olympic gold medal in table tennis is the dream of all table tennis players.

The Chinese national table tennis team arrived in Dortmund and started training immediately.

Dortmund was once the starting point for Chinese table tennis and even Chinese sports to reach the top of the world. But half a century later, table tennis has become a sport in which China is the only country standing out and challenging the world.

On March 2012, 3, the draw ceremony for the 24 Dortmund World Table Tennis Team Championships was held in Dortmund, Germany.

Inside the training hall.

Li Ying looked at the screen.

Xiaguo national table tennis team is in Group A.

In the same group, there are two particularly strong opponents.

Summer country Hong Kong and Sweden!
Since the introduction of Zhao Dongyuan, the strength of Xiaguo Xiangjiang's team competition has increased dramatically.

The Swedish team has always been a strong European table tennis team.

And now.

The star player of the Swedish team is Truth.

In Group B, there is the host Germany, and the other team is Haojiang, China.

In Group C, it’s the Goryeo team and the Xiaguo Treasure Island team.

In Group D, the strongest team is the Ryuo team.

(End of this chapter)