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Seeing the results of the women's team final of the 2024 Table Tennis Asian Championships, it is estimated that many fans of national table tennis are a little "heartbroken". The 1-3 defeat to the Japan team, especially Sun Yingsha, Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong's performance at the critical moment was unsatisfactory, and directly handed over this game that should have been a "steady win". On the Japan team's side, Zhang Benmeihe was like a hanger, defeating Wang Yidi and Sun Yingsha in a row, becoming the number one hero of the Japan team. On the podium, the depressed mood of several girls of the Chinese team and the scene of Japan players smiling like a spring breeze formed a sharp contrast.
This game is really a "big show", on the surface, it is a few duels that have not been played well, which in essence exposes some problems within the national table tennis. First of all, Wang Manyu withdrew from the competition due to family reasons, and Chen Meng also missed the competition, which made the national table tennis women's team lineup stretched. The existing temporary lineup obviously lacks fire in tacit understanding and stability, and the chain dropped at the critical moment, allowing the Japan team, which has been eyeing the Chinese team, to seize the opportunity.
Even more interesting is the absence of head coach Marin. This scene can be said to have filled the outside world with speculation, and it is inevitable that people wonder if there is something wrong with the management of national table tennis. The head coach should logically rush to the forefront in this kind of key game, command and dispatch, and cheer up the players, but Ma Lin's absence has become the biggest "mystery" after the defeat of the game. In the absence of the coach, the mentality of the players will inevitably be affected, should the management bear the blame for this defeat?
Speaking of the Japan team, that's called an eyebrow-raising. In the past few years, in the face of the "iron wall" of Chinese women's table tennis, they have repeatedly stopped at the runner-up. This time he finally won the victory over the Chinese team at the Asian Championships, and the joy on the podium was even a little arrogant, after all, this victory was not easy. For a young player like Zhang Benmei and He, beating two of China's main players in a row to achieve this iconic victory is definitely the highlight of her career.
In fact, this defeat is both a setback and a wake-up call for Chinese women's table tennis. Over the past many years, national table tennis has always been an unshakable existence, and everyone is accustomed to watching them win the championship, and even watching the game feels that there is no suspense. But it is this long-term leadership that may lead to internal laxity. Think about the past few years, the Japan team has been improving, cultivating a group of energetic young players, and "back waves" like Zhang Benmei and others are forming a real threat to the Chinese team. This defeat just shows that "Big Brother" also needs to maintain a sense of crisis at all times.
But let's not be too anxious, after all, this is just a team competition. The national table tennis women's team still has absolute strength in singles, and there is still a chance to prove itself in the next individual competitions. For athletes, failure is not necessarily a bad thing, what matters is how to get out of it. Past experience tells us that the "fall" of national table tennis has always been "for a higher jump". However, how to adjust the mentality and quickly repair the problems of the team, especially the stability of the coaching team, now seems to be a big challenge.
On the stage of world-class competitive sports, the strong are never without mistakes, but are able to learn from each defeat and continue to evolve. As the old saying goes, "To grow is to fail and get back up." Sun Yingsha, Wang Yidi, Chen Xingtong, they are all powerful players, mistakes are temporary, and the real powerhouses will not be knocked down by a game. Fans should also give them a little time, after all, the charm of competitive sports is unpredictability. Winning and losing is a common thing in soldiers, and the focus is on how to reflect on the failure and find the way to win the next time.
So in the end, the editor would like to ask: Is the defeat of the national table tennis women's team bad luck or management problems? What do you think about this?