As we all know, the WTT Doha Star Challenge is the first international event held by the International Table Tennis Federation in 2024, and the main force of national table tennis is also pouring out of the nest and all participating. However, to the confusion of fans, the national table tennis first gave up participating in the second round of the WTT Doha Regular Challenge, but soon after, two pairs of players were added to participate in the mixed doubles event.
Attentive fans further discovered that the two mixed doubles pairs who participated in the Doha Star Challenge were Wang Chuqin, Sun Yingsha and Lin Shidong and Kuo Man, but the two mixed doubles pairs who participated in the Doha Regular Challenge became Wang Chuqin, Sun Yingsha and Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu. In other words, the anime group was replaced by the Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu group.
On the surface, this change seems normal, but in fact, there is a lot of information in it.
It stands to reason that the Doha Regular Challenge, like the Taiyuan Regular Challenge, is the lowest-level event in the WTT series. So, since the national table tennis wants to make up for the mixed doubles, it should also let the animation combination go into battle, why do you want to let the Shatou combination and Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu play at the same time?
The reason is simple!First of all, although the Shatou combination is ranked No. 1 in the world, their performance after winning the mixed doubles championship at the Hangzhou Asian Games has dissatisfied the national table tennis coaching staff and fans, especially in the first ITTF Mixed Team World Cup. Therefore, the national table tennis coaching staff intends to let Lin Gaoyuan match Wang Manyu again, and the existence of this mixed doubles combination will have invisible pressure and motivation on the Shatou combination.
Secondly, this change undoubtedly shows that although the young duo of Lin Shidong and Kuo Man have occasionally performed well, they are not enough to take on a big role in the international arena and need to be further tempered. At the same time, given that it is impossible for the anime group to participate in the Olympics, the national table tennis coaching staff must form another excellent mixed doubles pair in case of emergency. In other words, if the Shatou combination is inconsistent in the next game, and Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu perform better, then the latter is very likely to replace the former.
Thirdly, this change further suggests that Lin Gaoyuan is very likely to participate in the Paris Olympics as a substitute. If Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu have a more prominent performance than Shatou in the next matches, they may even partner in mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics.
After all, Sun Yingsha has long been paired with Wang Chuqin in mixed doubles to add a lot of mixed doubles titles to her career, and now, Wang Manyu can also have more opportunities to perform. Of course, the premise is that she and Lin Gaoyuan can excel in the mixed doubles event.
Wang Manyu 2024 is an Olympic year and the year of the resumption of the Singles World Cup, which will be crucial for Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu's individual careers. The two female players are both top masters in the international table tennis world, who can have the last laugh in the fierce competition, let's wait and see. Of course, Lin Gaoyuan may also usher in a special stage of development, depending on whether he can grasp the opportunity.