In the national table tennis, every player has an Olympic dream, but the reality is often so cruel that people can't breathe. In this competitive arena, there are people who have risen to prominence, and there are people who have gone into obscurity. Today, the protagonist we want to talk about, Liu Yangzi, is such an unknown national table tennis player with a firm dream.
Liu Yangzi, this name may not be well-known in national table tennis, but her story is full of legends. As a player ranked 31st in the world, she could have continued to fight at home, but in the face of fierce competition in the country, she chose an unusual path - naturalization. Today, Liu Yangzi is already Australia's highest-ranked women's singles player in the world, and she has made a name for herself in the World Series on behalf of the Australian team, showing her strength.
Yoko Liu's story begins when she was a teenager. At that time, she showed extraordinary table tennis talent, and followed the national table tennis celebrity Cao Yanhua to study in the Shanghai table tennis team and laid a solid foundation. However, as she grew older, she found it difficult to stand out in the competitive environment at home. In order to pursue a higher stage, she followed her family to live overseas and started a new journey.
In Australia, Liu Yoko did not immediately become a member of the national team. She needs to adapt to a new environment and integrate into a new team. However, she never gave up on her dreams. She trained tirelessly to improve her skills. It wasn't until 2021 that she finally registered with the Australian Table Tennis Association and became a member of the Australian team. At that moment, she knew she was one step closer to her Olympic dream.
However, a twist of fate came quietly at this time. The ITTF's rules have dashed her hopes. According to the rules, an athlete must be between the ages of 18 and 21 when registering with another association, and will not be able to represent the newly registered association at the Olympics until seven years have passed. This means that Liu will only have a chance to represent Australia at the Olympics in 2029. For an athlete, such a wait is undoubtedly long and cruel.
But Liu Yangzi did not give up. She decided to challenge the system and get a fair chance for herself. She filed a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport and took the ITTF to court. Her purpose is clear - she wants to change this rule so that she can stand on the Olympic stage as soon as possible. Although this road is full of hardships and unknowns, Liu Yangzi has walked on without hesitation.
In the process of preparing for the Paris Olympics, Liu Yoko faced a huge challenge. She needs to face domestic masters for intensive training to improve her strength. At the same time, she will need to adapt to the Australian training environment and lifestyle. But no matter how difficult it was, she never flinched. She firmly believes that as long as she puts in enough effort, she will be able to achieve her dreams.
Liu Yangzi was not alone in the training camp, with the personal guidance of Liu Guoliang, chairman of the national table tennis committee, and Li Falcon, the head coach, as well as the sharing and guidance of many table tennis celebrities. She has benefited greatly from these valuable experiences. At the same time, she was also helped by several sparring players. These sparring players imitate the style of the world's top table tennis players and train against her, allowing her to better adapt to various competition environments.
However, the dedication of these sparring players is often overlooked. They won't be able to compete in tournaments like WTT feeder tournaments to get a world ranking and more appearances. But they silently worked hard for the honor of national table tennis. Liu Yangzi is well aware of the difficulties of these sparring players, so she cherishes every opportunity to train even more, hoping to repay their efforts with her performance.
In addition to sparring players, Liu Yangzi also has to face the fierce competition environment in China. In this stage where there are many masters, she needs to constantly improve her strength to be able to stand out. But no matter how difficult it was, she never gave up on her dream. She firmly believes that as long as she puts in enough effort, she will be able to achieve her goals.
Now Liu Yangzi has stood on the international stage to compete with masters from all over the world. She used her strength and performance to win glory for the country, and also won more respect and support for herself. Although her path was full of hardships and unknowns, she never regretted her choice. Because she knows that only by bravely pursuing her dreams can she truly realize her own value.
Finally, let us look forward to Liu Yangzi being able to continue to play his strength in future competitions and win more honors and victories for national table tennis! At the same time, I also hope that the ITTF can give more fair opportunities to naturalized players, so that everyone has the opportunity to stand on the stage of the Olympic Games and show their style!