The men's singles table tennis at the Sydney Olympics is a large collection of legendary players: Kong Linghui, Liu Guoliang, and Lao Wa
In the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, table tennis appeared on the Olympic stage for the fourth time, and the national table tennis won a big victory. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be on July 27, making its 10th appearance. What will the Chinese table tennis team led by Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha achieve?
In Sydney 2000, Kong Linghui won the gold in men's singles, and Wang Nan won the double championship! The perfect results of national table tennis are as follows.
Men's singles champions, runners-up and runners-up: Kong Linghui, Waldner, Liu Guoliang.
Women's singles champions, runners-up and runners-up: Wang Nan, Li Ju, Chen Jing.
Men's doubles champion and runner-up: Wang Liqin/Yan Sen, Kong Linghui/Liu Guoliang.
Women's doubles champion and runner-up: Wang Nan/Li Ju, Yang Ying/Sun Jin.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, table tennis at the Australian National Sports Centre was spectacular. From 16 to 25 September 2000, 171 athletes from 48 countries competed in stadiums. This is the fourth time that table tennis has appeared at the Olympics.
The format of the Sydney Olympics has been revised with a focus on maximising the excitement of the competition. Both singles and doubles qualifiers have been shortened and the schedule has been tighter. This streamlined approach opens up the possibility of a direct-elimination format for future Olympic table tennis competitions.
The men's singles competition is a showcase of legendary players. Four semi-finalists, Kong Linghui, Liu Guoliang, Persson and Waldner, are all former world champions. In the end, China's Kong Linghui won the gold medal, Sweden's Waldner won the silver medal, and China's Liu Guoliang won the bronze medal.
The men's doubles match was a highlight. France's Patrick Sheila and Jean-Philippe Guetin won bronze, becoming the only left-handed pair to win a medal in table tennis at the Olympics. This feat is still etched in Olympic history, but it also raises another layer of doubt: will the French team be able to win a medal at the Paris Olympics 24 years later?
At the Sydney Olympics, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden cheered on the athletes, even adding a bit of a "royal" atmosphere. But what really made the audience cheer was undoubtedly the enthusiastic Chinese fans.
When Chinese athletes dominated the table tennis match, their unwavering support resounded throughout the stadium. Kong Linghui won the men's singles gold medal, Wang Nan won the women's singles championship, Wang Liqin and Yan Sen won the men's doubles championship, Li Ju and Wang Nan won the women's doubles championship, and the audience erupted in cheers.
It was a truly joyful moment for the Chinese delegation, who performed well in the competition and had a lot to celebrate.
The aftermath of the Sydney Olympics continues, inspiring a new generation of athletes to fight for Olympic glory. With less than a month to go, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are just around the corner, and we look forward to seeing lightning-fast matchups and amazing sportsmanship again. Get ready to witness the world's best table tennis players battle it out on the biggest stage.
Ping Pong Hu Qingyuan