![]() "Since the Tokyo Olympics, many teams have been selecting more young players who are shining on the world stage. There are always promising young foreign stars," said Qin Zhijian, head coach of the Chinese men's team. We have many strong opponents in Asia and Europe. "In terms of the men, Team China has been challenged by rivals for decades. Young Japanese talent Tomokazu Harimoto defeated world No 1 Fan and young star Wang Chuqin consecutively in the semifinal, before Team China managed to win the fifth match to edge past Japan 3-2. On the men's side, Japan gave the host team a big fright in the semifinals on Saturday. That's the result of our tough training over the past few months," said Li.ĭespite the two gold medals, the Chinese aces faced stern tests en route to victory to underline how quickly their foreign rivals are improving. From the first match to the final, all our players had great momentum and produced great performances. "We all had the same goal, and that was to win this title. Li Sun, the head coach of the women's squad, credited the great team spirit and hard work in training for the golden result. All our players and our coach were very united. "I'm really happy to win the world team title. But my teammates had great performances in the first two matches, so I had no pressure and was able to produce my best," said Sun. "I prepared myself for the toughest possible match. I just want to thank the trust and confidence that everyone gives me."Ĭhen's victory certainly seemed to ease the pressure on Sun Yingsha, as the world No 1 unleashed her full repertoire of shots. I enjoyed the final so much, and gave it all I had. "And the performances of my teammates Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha were also brilliant. ![]() I hoped to lift the morale of the team by winning the first match," said Chen, who overcame Japan's Miyuu Kihara in that opening encounter. "Before the final, I just told myself no matter how hard it might be, I must win my match in the final. ![]() ![]() I was actually worried that I might lose my match, but I had huge trust in my teammates to win," said Team China legend Ma Long, the reigning Olympic singles champion.Ĭhen Meng, a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics who now ranks second in the world, exemplified the team spirit of the women's squad. "This is a team competition, which requires everyone to be at their best to contribute to the team. Team China players all agreed the challenges they faced together en route to the top podium made victory taste even sweeter than singles glory. The Chinese women's squad won its fifth consecutive women's team title to raise the Corbillon Cup for a record-extending 22nd time. The last team to stop China in the finals was Sweden in 2000. The squad lifted the Swaythling Cup for the 10th straight time and 22nd time overall. The Chinese men's team avoided any defeats on its journey to the gold medal. But I just keep learning and growing," said men's world No 1 Fan Zhendong after the win.Ĭhina defeated Germany 3-0 in Sunday's men's final, a day after their female compatriots swept Japan 3-0 in their final. My role has changed and I shoulder more responsibility. I was a substitute in the first two editions when I was still learning from the veterans, and now I'm already a core player. This is the fourth time I've participated in these championships. The victories, however, were far from straightforward, with the performances of a number of their fast-improving rivals warning China against any complacency. Team China reasserted its dominance of the sport by claiming both gold medals at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Chengdu, Sichuan province, over the weekend. ĭouble gold for China but improving foreign rivals put champs on alert (Left) World and Olympic champion Ma Long celebrates Team China's victory over Germany on Sunday Chen Meng leads China to victory over Japan in Saturday's women's final at the World Team Table Tennis Championships.
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