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Mike Chan

Ira Gorawara

Table tennis phenom Fan Zhendong, China’s household name, clinched at least one title each year since emerging on the international scene in 2013.
And on Sunday, he topped his already stellar resume with Olympic gold.
His triumph over Sweden’s Truls Moregard in the finale in Paris marked an upgrade from his silver medal in Tokyo, earning him the distinction of China’s fifth man to complete a “grand slam” by winning the main prize at the World Championships, World Cup and Olympic Games.
The 27-year-old may not have as many medals as teammate Ma Long, considered the Greatest of All Time by the International Table Tennis Federation, but time is on his side and he could still eventually match the achievements of his compatriot, who is turning 36 in October.
So, as China revels in Fan’s monumental victory, here is everything you need to know about the ping pong standout.

Biography
Known also as Little Fatty (Xiao Pang in Mandarin), Fan was born on January 22, 1997, in Guangzhou. He started playing table tennis just before primary school, which came with the added bonus that school table tennis team members could have part of their tuition fee waived.
“I couldn’t say whether I liked it or not when I started, but it doesn’t feel boring,” Fan said.
He would later be picked up by a city sports academy in Guangzhou after representing his school in local tournaments, and from there, classroom time was restricted to the mornings, swapped for training in the afternoon.
The succeeding landmark event came in 2008 when Fan, then 11, was drafted into the Bayi table tennis team – where he met national team athletes who later became his teammates.

National star
That was only the start, and by February 2012, Fan made the national team after finishing in the top eight at the selection tournament. Still just 16, the unstoppable prodigy conquered the likes of former world champion Wang Hao, Olympic gold-medallist Chen Qi and World Championships medallist Hao Shuai.
In December of that year, Fan claimed three gold medals in men’s singles, men’s team and mixed doubles at the World Junior Championships in Hyderabad, India.
A player with an attacking style using his explosive footwork and powerful forehand loops, Fan’s first appearance at the World Championships in May 2013 ended in the round of 32 when he was beaten by eventual men’s singles champion and Paris teammate Zhang Jike.
Fan would, however, get one back over Zhang a few months later at the National Games in Liaoning before being denied by Ma, who would become one of his biggest nemeses, in the men’s single’s final.
Reaching the top five in the world in December 2013 was his next milestone. Though certainly not the pinnacle, even by the standard of China’s national sport it was still a trailblazing achievement for a teenage player who had yet to turn 17.

New kid on the block
Fan finally got the better of the legendary Ma, albeit away from the table, when he became the youngest world champion in men’s table tennis history by winning the team title at the 2014 World Championships in Tokyo.
Fan was 17 years and 103 days old, surpassing Ma’s 2006 record of 17 years and eight months.
By netting just a single victory in their 14 meetings – 11 of which were in the finals – up to that point, it is a fair claim to suggest Fan lived in the shadows of Ma.
Things only began to improve in 2019. Fan won six out of their next 10 meetings, including five times in finals, but lost the big one as Ma came out on top in the all-important gold-medal clash in Tokyo, becoming the first men’s player to defend his crown at the Games.

Revenge?
Fan, who has only slipped out of the world’s top three for two weeks since July 2015, since cemented back-to-back men’s single’s world champion titles in Houston and Durban in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
The world No 2 even survived a dip in form in the second half of last year, where he lost the Asian Games final to compatriot Wang Chuqin.
“The second half of the year I think probably some of my rhythm was not as good as the first half of the year,” Fan said during the Mixed Team World Cup in Chengdu in December. “There was some uncertainty about my plans for competitions and my approach may not have been adjusted best.
“I think through these disappointments from the latter half of the year, and through some adjustments, I hope I can perform better in 2024.”
Never underestimate the determination of a world champion and China’s sixth Olympics men’s singles titlist.


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Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Fan Zhendong: China’s persistent table tennis sensation completes grand slam in Paris

Fan Zhendong celebrates after winning a gold medal, which saw him complete a grand slam in table tennis. Photo: Xinhua

A young Fan Zhendong celebrates after beating Liam Pitchford to win the ITTF Qatar Open in Doha in 2020. Photo: Xinhua

China’s Fan Zhendong celebrates beating Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju to reach the final at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Kyodo

Fan Zhendong conquered in Paris to add the only major piece of silverware missing from his collection. Photo: Xinhua

Ma Long beat Fan Zhendong to win men’s singles Olympic gold in 2021. Photo: AFP

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Table Tennis

He has become a household name after winning at least one title each year since 2013, and now has an Olympic gold


The 27-year-old has become a household name after winning at least one title each year – even during the COVID-19 pandemic – and now an Olympic gold as well.


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Profile | Fan Zhendong: China’s persistent table tennis sensation completes grand slam in Paris

He has become a household name after winning at least one title each year since 2013, and now has an Olympic gold

Biography