By outdoor-nature-child.com On October 13th, the 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships wrapped up in Astana, Kazakhstan, and the Chinese national table tennis team faced an unusual setback, securing only 2 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze.
The championship featured seven events: men’s and women’s singles, doubles, team competitions, and mixed doubles. Historically, the Chinese team has dominated the tournament, claiming 32 of the 35 titles contested over the past six editions. Their performance has been particularly strong in recent years, with memorable showings in the 2019 Yogyakarta and 2023 Pyeongchang championships where they won all seven titles. The last time the team secured only two gold medals was back in 1974 at the Yokohama Championships in Japan.
The two gold medals at this year’s event came from the mixed doubles and men’s team categories. In the men’s team final, the trio of Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, and Liang Jingkun triumphed over the team from Chinese Taipei with a score of 3-1. Wang Chuqin was crucial to the victory, contributing two points to the team: he dominated his first match against Chinese Taipei’s Kao Cheng-Jui and then made a remarkable comeback in the pivotal fourth match against Lin Yun-Ju, winning 3-2 after dropping the first two games.
Youngster Lin Shidong also made headlines by defeating veteran Ma Long to win the men’s singles title at the WTT China Grand Slam earlier this year. In the Asian Championships, he played a key role, scoring a 3-1 victory against Lin Yun-Ju and later collaborating with partner Kuai Man to reverse a match against North Korea’s silver medalists at the Paris Olympics, Li Jong-Sik and Kim Jin-Young, in the mixed doubles final. The 19-year-old ended the championships with two golds and a silver.
Conversely, the Chinese women’s team faced a significant challenge. The absence of second seed Wang Manyu left the team vulnerable, culminating in a disappointing 1-3 loss to Japan in the women’s team finals on October 9. Top seed Sun Yingsha fell to Japanese player Harimoto Mizuki in a close match, after which she withdrew from the individual competitions.
The lack of experience from both Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, along with issues related to a tight schedule and venue adaptation, raised concerns about the women’s team’s performance. Subsequent eliminations saw Shi Xunyao, Wang Yidi, and Kuai Man all advance early, with only Chen Xingtong managing to reach the quarter-finals, where she lost to Harimoto Mizuki. In doubles, Chen teamed up with Kuai Man, but they fell 0-3 in the semifinals to the world number seven duo of Matsumoto Sara and Nakayama Saki, missing the final.
As the Asian Championships draw to a close, the rise of competitors like Japan’s Harimoto Mizuki and North Korea’s Kim Jin-Young serves as a warning to the Chinese team. Chen Meng, the reigning Olympic champion in women’s singles, noted on October 12 that emerging young talents signal a shift in competitive dynamics. “Recent tournaments have shown teams rising quickly with young players making their mark,” she emphasized.
The openness and diversity in competitive sports enhance the spectator experience and present new challenges for teams. For the Chinese team, this unprecedented loss at the Asian Championships highlights the need to maintain their competitive edge as they prepare for the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics. The ability to adapt and strengthen their strategies will be crucial in the face of growing competition.