With the successful conclusion of the 2024 Busan Team World Table Tennis Championships, the national table tennis women's team once again showed its strong strength, narrowly defeating the Japanese team with a score of 3-2 and successfully defending the women's team championship.
However, the victory was not all smooth sailing, as Chen Meng lost to Hina Hayata, and world No. 2 Wang Yidi lost 3-0 to Miu Hirano, adding a lot of suspense to the match.
Head coach Ma Lin said in his post-match summary that despite winning the championship in the end, the problems exposed during the game cannot be ignored. He singled out the difficulty of the group stage against India and the tense atmosphere against Japan in the final.
Ma Lin emphasized that the national table tennis women's team needs to continue to improve, especially before important events such as the Olympic Games, and must find and solve problems in time. At the same time, he also thanked Liu Guoliang, chairman of the Table Tennis Association, for his mobilization and the efforts and dedication of all the team members.
In this exciting final, Sun Yingsha scored two points and became a key figure in the reversal of national table tennis. In an interview, she praised Japan's 16-year-old Miwa Zhangmoto, believing that she is a very good young athlete whose level is close to the main force of national table tennis. Sun Yingsha modestly said that she may have been lucky to be able to win the game.
Another national table tennis player, Wang Manyu, although she failed to participate in the knockout round in this World Table Tennis Championships, she expressed satisfaction with her performance and the results of the Chinese team.
She said that she has gained a lot in all aspects, and although she regrets not being able to play in the knockout round, she believes that this is a choice made by the coaching staff according to the regulations and the actual situation. It is worth mentioning that when Wang Manyu expressed these opinions, head coach Ma Lin was next to her, and her expression was slightly subtle.
The experience of this World Table Tennis Championships has undoubtedly sounded the alarm for the national table tennis coaching staff. They will need to revisit the rules in their squads, especially regarding the order of appearances in the knockout rounds.
After all, in competitive sports, strength and form are the most important measures. It is hoped that the national table tennis can learn this lesson and respond to various challenges more steadily in future competitions.