In the bright galaxy of Chinese table tennis, Yuan Licen is like a silently shining star, with his unique style of play and unremitting efforts, he has left his own mark on the table tennis world. This young player from Anshan City, Liaoning Province, with sweat and perseverance, wrote an inspirational chapter about growth and breakthrough.
Yuan Licen's story begins with a child who is curious about table tennis. At the age of six, when children of the same age were still playing carefree, he had already picked up a racket and began to have an indissoluble bond with table tennis. This early love became the cornerstone of his later career. He entered the Liaoning team at the age of nine, and at the age of fifteen, he knocked on the door of the national team as the men's singles champion of the National Junior Championships. Along the way, every step embodies his dedication and pursuit of table tennis.
In the days of the national team, Yuan Licen has experienced a transformation from youth to maturity. His coach Zhai Yiming, although his career is not prominent, as Li Xiaoxia's husband, his understanding of table tennis and education methods have undoubtedly provided valuable guidance for Yuan Licen's growth. Under the guidance of Zhai Yiming, Yuan Licen's serving and receiving skills have become increasingly sophisticated, and his changeable spins and landing points have allowed him to take the lead in the game, and his serve score at critical moments has become a major killer feature for him.
Yuan Licen's style of play is known for his strong forehand lethality, which allows him to often take the initiative to attack in the game and have a high scoring rate. However, as Zhang Chao, the coach of the Table Tennis Super League, said, Yuan Licen's backhand skills still need to be strengthened, and his stability and comprehensive ability also need to be improved. These evaluations are not only an accurate grasp of Yuan Licen's current situation, but also an ardent expectation for his future development.
In Yuan Licen's career, there is no shortage of bright moments. In 2018, he won the ITTF Senior Youth Tour Oman Junior Open, his first appearance on the international stage. In 2022, he ushered in the highlight moment of his career, not only winning the men's singles championship at the WTT Challenger, but also helping Shandong Luneng team win the men's team championship in the Table Tennis Super League. These honors are the best proof of his hard work and talent.
However, the path to growth is always challenging. At the 2024 Almaty Challenger, Yuan Licen unfortunately stopped in the men's singles round of 32 and lost to Chinese Taipei's young player Gao Chunrui. The loss of this game, although it made people sigh, also exposed Yuan Licen's shortcomings in terms of game mentality and stability. Similarly, in the qualifying round of the Doha Stars Challenge, he suffered another setback and missed out on the main event. These setbacks are undoubtedly a test for him again and again, and they are also the inevitable tempering on the road of his growth.
In the face of failure, Yuan Licen never chose to escape. He knows that only by constantly summing up experience can he go further in future competitions. In doubles, his combination with Xiang Peng showed strong strength, not only winning the men's doubles title at the 2023 WTT Men's Finals, but also ranking seventh in the ITTF Men's Doubles World Rankings. The achievement of this achievement is not only an affirmation of their tacit cooperation, but also a recognition of Yuan Licen's doubles ability.
Yuan Licen's career is a process of continuous self-breakthrough and pursuit of excellence. He used his actions to interpret what perseverance and hard work, courage and responsibility are. In the duel with Ma Long, he won twice, which is not only a proof of his technical strength, but also the best commentary on his spirit of daring to challenge and win.
In the big family of national table tennis, Yuan Licen and Wang Chuqin and other players of the same age have grown up together, and the competition and cooperation between them have promoted each other's continuous progress. Although Wang Chuqin has the advantage in results and competition experience, Yuan Licen has never given up his demands and desire to win. He knows that only by continuous efforts can he go further on the road in the future.
Yuan Licen's story is a story about dreams and perseverance, and a story about challenges and breakthroughs. His experience tells us that no matter how big the difficulties and challenges are, as long as there is a dream in the heart and a road under the feet, we will be able to create our own glory. In the coming days, we have reason to believe that Yuan Licen will continue to shine on the stage of Chinese table tennis with a more mature and stable attitude, and contribute to the future development of the Chinese table tennis team.