1.

Wang Nan
Just three table tennis players have managed to
win four Olympic gold medals with Deng Yaping,
Zhang Yining and Wang Nan. These three have
dominated women table tennis for successive periods.
Wang Nan was ranked number one in the world for
almost four years between January of 1999 and November of 2002, and she won all the
major titles in that period, including the singles and doubles title at the 2000 Olympics.

Wang Nan was born on October 23, 1978 in Fushun, Liaoning. She is a famous
table tennis player that uses left hand in playing table tennis and she began playing table
tennis when she was seven years old. Her skills in table tennis are changing the placement
of the ball during rallies and her loop drive, as well as her notable speed. She has been
elected as leader of the women’s table tennis team of China. Wang Nan is marries to Guo
Bin.

Wang Nan won the women’s singles titles at the Sweden Open in 1994. She also
won the Women’s World Table Tennis Cup twice from 1997 to 1998 as well as the
American Open and China Open. She also won four gold medals at the 1998 Asian Games
in Bangkok, Thailand. Lastly, at the end of 1998, she won the International Table Tennis
Federation tour finals.

But every glorious winning has its downfall, in the 2002 Asian Games in Busan,
she lost two finals in the singles and women's teams competitions, winning no gold medals.
Many people criticized her attitude and observed that she was inactive and lacking
confidence. A lot of rumors claimed that she was going to retire because her skills were
depleted and she could not compete on the improving world stage. But after that, she
worked hard continuously that make her won another three gold medals in World Table
Tennis Championships in Paris.
2. Ma Long
Ma Long is the longest reigning male world
number 1 table tennis player of all-time. As of June
2017, he has held the International Table Tennis
Federation (ITTF) number one ranking for a record
total of 58 months.

Ma Long was born on 20th of October of 1988 in Anshan, Liaoning, China, he is

a Chinese table tennis player. He is the current World and Olympic Champion in table
tennis, he is also ranked as number 3 in the world as of August 2019 by the International
Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Currently, he is the captain of the Chinese National
Table Tennis Men’s Team.

After a clean sweep victory in the Men's Singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ma
Long became the fifth player to complete a career Grand Slam due to winning
the Olympics, World Championships, and the World Cup. In addition, he became the first
male table tennis player in the world to have won every singles title in table tennis. Due to
his performance and outstanding winnings, people consider him to be the greatest table
tennis player of all time.

At the beginning of his career, his play strategy was primarily forehand-oriented,
dominating play with powerful forehand loops, only using his backhand for controlled
returns to set up the forehand. He still plays a forehand-oriented style, but his backhand
has become more consistent, stable, and powerful as his career has progressed. Compared
to when he was younger, he is much more confident using his backhand to attack and
defend.

But not all of the story is always be a glorious one, as Ma Long suffered his first
loss to Fan Zhendong in the international competition in years in the final of the 2019 Asian
Cup, which led to speculations that Ma Long’s reign will finally come to an end.
3. Jan-Ove Waldner
Jan-Ove Waldner is the most successful non-
Chinese table tennis player of all-time. Waldner is one
of seven players to play in the first five Olympics. He
won Olympic gold in 1992 and silver in 2000. He is the
owner of 11 World Championships medals which
include two golds from Singles competition. He was a triple gold medalist in the 1996
European championships, winning first place in the Singles, Doubles and Team
competition.

Waldner was born on October 3 1965, he is a Swedish former table tennis player.
His alias is “the Mozart of table tennis” and he is also considered as one of the greatest
table tennis player of all time. He called in China as “Old Waldner” or “Evergreen Tree”
due to his extraordinary longevity and competitiveness.

His athletic potential was recognized at an early age and was displayed in 1982
when, as a 16-year-old, he reached the final of the European Championships. He uses left
hand in playing table tennis. Waldner is one of the five male players in the history of table
tennis to achieve a career grandslam by winning the Wolrd Championship and in Olympics.
When he retired, Waldner had been playing international elite level table tennis for more
than thirty years, which is somewhat unusual in the table tennis world given that hand–eye
coordination and quick reactions are essential.

In China, a country that adores table tennis, he is undisputedly the best-

known Swedish person, and still one of the most well-known sports personalities. In the
1990s, he was more recognizable in China than then President of the United States Bill
Clinton.

He is considered by many to be the most technically complete player of all time,

and is almost inarguably the most successful non-Chinese player who has ever lived.
4. Zhang Jike
Zhang Jike is a Chinese table tennis
player who won the WTTC and World Cup in
2011 and then the gold medal in the 2012
London Olympics. Zhang continued with a win
at the WTTC in 2013 and at the World Cup in
2014. As of 2016, Zhang Jike and Ma Lin are the only two table tennis players to win
five major titles. He is the fastest player to achieve the Grand Slam at a record 445 days
and the player who was closest to winning a second Grand Slam title.

Zhang Jike was bron on 16 th of February in 1988 at Qingdao, Shandong Province.

His father is a table tennis coach. Zhang started playing table tennis at the age of 4.
Zhang Jike is a two-winged shakehand attacker, using a combination of quick topspin drive
attacks, counters, and loops. He stays very low to the ground and is exceptionally quick on
his feet. Among all the Chinese National team players, he is known for having the best
backhand technique, often using it in the forehand corner, especially when returning heavy
under-spin serves and pushes. His backhand on-the-table flick is widely regarded as one of
the best in the world. One of Zhang Jike's most valuable asset is his mental strength. His
ability to win big points in major competitions under pressure is apparent to observers.

After being recognized as the fastest table tennis player to win a Grandslam title,
in 2014, Zhang’s world raking dropped to 5 th as a result of consecutive early exits and
title drought in the tournament. His coach labeled him for his lack of focus and
techniques development because he never change to his playing style that can be a
positive and negative to a player. But after the tumbles of his career, Zhang managed to
lead his hometown team to the 2014 Chinese Table Tennis Super League Championship
and he won the World Cup again.

Zhang Jike truly shows that a champion will always be a champion if you are
willing to earn that kind of thing in the world.
5. Liu Guoliang
Guoliang is the current coach of the
Chinese Table Tennis team and considered as
one of the greatest table tennis player of all
time. Liu Guoliang is the second player in table
tennis history to accomplish a career grand
slam. He also holds the distinction of having won at least one title in every major
international tournament, including the World Championships, World Cup and the
Olympic Games.

Liu is a Chinese Table tennis player that was born on 10 th of January, 1976 at
Xinxiang, Henan. He was appointed as the head coach of the China's National Men's Team
at the age of 27 because of his retirement in 2001. Liu is qualified to be a coach of Chinese
Table tennis team because of his skills, mindset, and experience in competing to the wolrd.
On December 1, 2018, Guoliang was elected to be the President of the Chinese Table
Tennis Association.

Under his reign, China, having won 28 out of 32 gold medals awarded since table
tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988, extended their dominance for a decade by taking
all 12 golds on offer across the last three Olympics.

His playing style is based on the use of short pimple-out rubber and he uses a
penholder grip. He is the forerunner of the backhand reverse topspin. His blade
is Stiga Clipper, his forehand rubber is Stiga Clippa and his reverse backhand rubber is
Stiga Mendo Energy.

For now, Liu is preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and as well as the
authority’s management to restructuring the improvement of training and efficiency for the
Olympic preparations.
 Biography
of
Famous
Table Tennis Players

Submitted by:

Leojake P. Rull
BSBA-FM II-18