National table tennis team: the road to the Olympics that cannot be mistaken
In the national table tennis team, there is a tacit agreement: if you lose to foreign opponents in the Olympic year, especially the biggest opponent, you will inevitably be eliminated from the Olympic team. This is undoubtedly the most intolerable thing for Liu Guoliang. The brilliant achievements of the Chinese table tennis team are the result of the unremitting struggle of several generations, and their spirit has always been "forge ahead, never stop", which inspires them to move forward. 2024 is the Olympic year, which is the best moment for the national table tennis team to show the glory of national football, and the collective glory must not be damaged by individual mistakes.
Wang Yidi's challenges and dilemmas
Since the end of the Busan Team World Table Tennis Championships, a fact that cannot be ignored is in front of all fans: Wang Yidi is obviously incompetent at a critical moment. This is not to question her abilities, but to point out that there is a problem with her mindset at a critical moment. The issue of mentality is a huge obstacle that a good player must overcome when promoting to the top of the game, and Wang Yidi has clearly failed to overcome this obstacle at the moment.
In the Paris Olympic cycle, Wang Yidi is the player with the most losses in foreign battles among the five main players of the national table tennis women's team. Not only did she lose five times to Japan's (including Hina Hayada twice, Miu Hirano twice, and Miyu Kihara once), but she also lost once each to Luxembourg-Chinese veteran Ni Xialian and India's Akula. It is particularly noteworthy that three of the five defeats to Japanese players have been in high-profile tournaments such as the World Table Tennis Championships and the Asian Games, and all of them have occurred within the last year. Obviously, Wang Yidi has challenged the bottom line of the national table tennis coaching staff and fans again and again.
Wang Yidi undoubtedly has a desire to win, but in competitive sports, victory or defeat is a foregone conclusion. At the World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, the Asian Games in Hangzhou and the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan, she lost to Japanese players. If such a performance can still be selected for the Paris Olympic team, it will undoubtedly be unfair to Liu Shiwen and Zhu Yuling.
What happened to Liu Shiwen and Zhu Yuling
Liu Shiwen and Zhu Yuling both have remarkable personal achievements, far surpassing Wang Yidi. Liu Shiwen has the honor of winning the women's singles championship of the singles World Cup 5 times, and also won the women's singles championship of the World Table Tennis Championships once, and is only short of the women's singles championship of the Olympic Games from the perfect "Grand Slam". However, due to various reasons, she missed out on the singles qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.
Zhu Yuling also has brilliant personal achievements, having won the women's singles championship of the Table Tennis World Cup. However, during the Olympic cycle, she also encountered a similar predicament to Liu Shiwen, losing consecutive losses to Japan's Misei Ito, and finally gradually withdrew from the national team.
Liu Shiwen and Zhu Yuling's transformation path is remarkable. Liu Shiwen became the president of the ITTF Athletes' Commission and has major decision-making powers. Zhu Yuling became a university professor and also served as an executive of a company, and her relationship with her former teammates received the blessings of many fans.
Wang Yidi's future challenges
After the Busan Team World Table Tennis Championships, Wang Yidi's position in the national team will undoubtedly become delicate. Her fading dream of the Paris Olympics, as well as the disadvantage of her age, make it even more difficult for her to compete in the future.
However, I hope that Wang Yidi, like Liu Shiwen and Zhu Yuling, can usher in new changes and challenges after staying away from the arena in the future. Whatever path she chooses, her contributions to the table tennis world will always be remembered.
Conclusion
In the national table tennis team, individual honor must not override collective glory. Liu Guoliang and the attitude of the national table tennis team are clear: no matter how glorious the past is, as long as they lose to their biggest rival in the Olympic cycle, they will not tolerate it. Wang Yidi's predicament warns every national table tennis player that any mistake on the road to the Olympics will pay a heavy price. I hope that every national player can remember this and continue to work hard for the glory of Chinese table tennis.