"Chinese Table Tennis Jedi Strikes Back" back then, you know how sinister it is

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the film "Chinese Table Tennis Jedi Strikes Back" was grandly released, which is another sports blockbuster launched by the domestic film industry after "Winning the Championship". Do you understand the hardships of Chinese table tennis in the Jedi back then? This article presents the darkest moment of China's table tennis 30 years ago.

In the 1989 World Table Tennis Championships, China's table tennis suffered a heavy blow, the men's team final was kept clean sheets by the opponent, the men's singles were almost pierced by Sweden's Persson alone, men's doubles, mixed doubles, in layman's terms, all men-related events, without exception, did not win the gold medal; Two years later, at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships, the men's team competition fell to the abyss of 7th place, and the men's singles and medals were missing... During that period, Chinese table tennis fell to an all-time low, and it was in an unprecedented "Jedi".

In 1989, the 40th World Table Tennis Championships was held, and the Chinese men's table tennis lost 0:5 in the team final to the previous three runners-up Sweden, and the team four-consecutive championship record created since 1981 came to an end. In the fifth set of the Sino-Swiss men's team final, when Appeirun won one point to seal the victory, the audience couldn't help but stand up and celebrate and rejoice. It is normal for spectators to praise the Swedish team one-sidedly, Dortmund can be called their home turf, and for many years, the world men's table tennis has been "the world against China".

In 1989, the Swedish men's team won the World Table Tennis Championships

In the early to mid-60s of last century, China replaced Japan as the leading leader in the world table tennis arena, and the struggle for hegemony between China and Japan became the main color of that period. In the 70s of last century, Europeans upgraded the arc ball invented by the Japanese, giving this new technology more vitality, and Europe replaced Japan as the main force in the fight with China. In the 70s of last century, Europeans won the men's team championships of the World Table Tennis Championships in 1973 and 1979, and China had the last laugh in the three World Table Tennis Championships in 1971, 1975 and 1977. At that time, in the situation of "the world against China", China had the slight upper hand.

In the 1981 World Table Tennis Championships, the Chinese men's table tennis regained the Swethlin Cup

In the 1979 World Table Tennis Championships men's team final, the Hungarian team 5:1 Nick Chinese team, that World Table Tennis Championships Chinese men's team in the team, singles, doubles three events did not win a gold, this is the 1959 World Table Tennis Championships Rong Guo team achieved a breakthrough in the world championship zero. However, just two years later, the Chinese men's table tennis defeated the Hungarian team 5:2 in the final of the World Table Tennis Championships and returned to the Svethlin Cup (Note: World Table Tennis Championships Men's Team Championship Trophy). In just two years, the Chinese team used a faster and trickier near-Taiwan fast attack and a small arc to resist the impact of the European arc circle, and that successful counterattack made the Chinese men's table tennis "see the mountains and small mountains" in the four World Table Tennis Championships between 1981 and 1987.

In 1981, the national table tennis championships won seven championships

The Europeans have not stopped their assault on China. In the 80s of last century, with the rise of Apejlen, Waldner, Lind, Persson and other good players, the Swedish team replaced the Hungarian team and rushed to the forefront of the Chinese team, and from 1983 to 1987, three consecutive World Table Tennis Championships and Chinese men's table tennis competed for the Swethling Cup, especially the prodigy Waldner stood out, improving the overall strength of the Swedish team. In the 1987 World Table Tennis Championships, Waldner Luank, who participated in the World Table Tennis Championships for the third time, two Chinese men's table tennis generals, Chen Longcan and Teng Yi, rushed into the men's singles final. If it were not for Jiang Jialiang's experience advantage to respond in time, it would probably be the Swedes who have matured in technology to laugh last. Jiang Jialiang's successful defense of the title is a great deed, but this is the last glory before the Chinese men's table tennis was forced to "Jedi".

Jiang Jialiang

In the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, table tennis players appeared for the first time, and the ambitious Chinese men's table tennis won the gold medal in men's singles, and as a result, none of the three generals - Jiang Jialiang, Chen Longcan, and Xu Zengcai broke into the final four, and the "Great Wall of Table Tennis" was blown apart.

Then, perhaps the main rival Europeans also had a mediocre record, perhaps Chen Longcan and Wei Qingguang won a gold in the men's doubles, or perhaps the overall record of the Chinese Legion at the Seoul Olympics was not good, and few people realized that the Chinese men's table tennis at that time was falling rapidly.

South Korea's Yoo Nam-kyu

Eight months later, the Chinese men's table tennis lost its high control point. In the spring of 1989, the 40th World Table Tennis Championships was held in Dortmund, Federal Republic of Germany, that men's team battle, the first supporting role of the first three men's team Swedish team with an absolute advantage of 5:0, the four-consecutive Chinese men's table tennis under the horse, regained the Swethling Cup after 16 years. 0:5, this is a rare defeat since the debut of Chinese men's table tennis, Jiang Jialiang, Chen Longcan, Teng Yi faced the powerful impact of Waldner, Appeilen, Persson, defeated step by step, was swept by the Swedes five cities in a row, helplessly handed over the Svethlin Cup that has been preserved for 8 years.

Waldner (right) and Persson team up in doubles

The subsequent individual competitions further proved that the era of the Swedes has arrived, and Waldner and Persson won the men's singles championship and runner-up, which is the best record in history achieved by the Swedes in a single World Table Tennis Championships. What about Chinese men's table top? After losing the team competition, only the men's singles player Shen Tong reached the semifinals, and he and many of his teammates were banned by Persson. In the mixed doubles arena, the Chinese men's table tennis also did not have the last laugh, and suffered a worse defeat than the 1979 World Table Tennis Championships.

This is not the lowest point in the history of Chinese men's table tennis. Two years later, at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships, China's men's table tennis fell from the team runner-up to the seventh place in the group. Seventh, what does it mean for Chinese men's table tennis? It means that the glorious road to participating in the semifinals of the World Table Tennis Championships since 1957 has come to an end, which means that this is the worst record of Chinese men's table tennis since 1956 to participate in the World Table Tennis Championships!

Persson won the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships men's singles championship

In the early 50s of last century, the starting result of China's men's table tennis competition in the World Table Tennis Championships was the 10th place in the team! The 1991 World Table Tennis Championships fell too badly!

Some people may say that the team 7th place has something to do with the bad luck at the time of the competition. This sentence has some truth, the opponent of the 1/4 final is the Czech team, the group stage Chinese men's table tennis has defeated this opponent 3:2, if the state of the group stage continues, if Ma Wenge's state is better, if Zhang Lei is not judged by the referee for more serving violations, Chinese men's table tennis is completely likely to rush to the final four.

Ma Wenge

The association is rich, the reality is cruel, there are not so many competitive events, and the luck of the national players in the battle of Zhongjie is worse, but it is an indisputable fact that the national golfers do not have the absolute strength to defeat the enemy. At that time, the national table tennis has indeed fallen to the lowest point in history, the 1990 Beijing Asian Games held at the doorstep, the Chinese men's table tennis did not even get the team final ticket, the Asian table tennis junior ran to the World Table Tennis Championships, what is the chance of winning in the semifinals? In the subsequent fifth to eighth place matches, the Chinese men's table tennis lost to the stronger overall North Korean United team and fell to seventh in the group.

This is the "Jedi" of Chinese table tennis 30 years ago.

Wang tao

Of course, Chinese table tennis has never been afraid of setbacks, and every setback will always arouse a strong sense of mission and innovation among Chinese table tennis people, and in just a few years, Chinese men's table tennis miraculously achieved a Jedi counterattack. Of course, "Chinese Table Tennis Jedi Strikes Back" is by no means a one-time achievement of the 1995 Tianjin World Table Tennis Championships, but a process of quantitative change to qualitative change after the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships. "Jedi" is thrilling enough, "Fight Back" boosts morale, want to know the wonderful story of Absolute "Fight Back", and listen to the next breakdown. (Wang Quanli)