Table Tennis Players

Ma Long created history by becoming the first male table tennis player to score a Double Grand Slam and has 5 Olympic gold medals in his kitty. Known for his forehands and looping shots, he has also earned nicknames such as the Dictator and the Dragon, and is a national hero in China.

Chinese table tennis player Fan Zhendong currently holds the number one position in men’s singles. In a personal statement on his fan forum on Sina Weibo, he mentioned how he hates extreme fan reactions. In 2012, he was the youngest member of the Chinese national table tennis team.

Three-time Olympic champion Ma Lin is the only male table tennis player with wins in the singles, the doubles, and the team events in the Olympics. He is also a 9-time world champion. Now a successful coach, he also often collaborates with the table tennis equipment brand Yasaka, to develop new products.

Table tennis player Xu Xin remains one of the rare penhold grip players in China. Currently ranked world number 3, he won a silver in the mixed doubles in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, along with partner Liu Shiwen. He teamed up with Shiwen again to win a National Games gold in 2021.

Eight-time world champion Ding Ning also has 4 Olympic medals, 3 of which are gold. The former Chinese table tennis sensation announced her retirement on Weibo in 2021. She is now pursuing a university course in physical education. She earned the unofficial title of the Queen of Hearts for her popularity.

Olympic gold medalist table tennis player Sun Yingsha is also an Asian Games champion and a world champion. She created headlines when it came to light that she hadn’t been told about her grandmother’s death till the Tokyo Olympics ended, as she was already training for the games during the tragedy.

Zhang Jike is a Chinese professional table tennis player who won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in men's singles, becoming only the fourth male player to achieve a career Grand Slam in the history of table tennis. He also has two other Olympic gold medals and seven World Championship gold medals under his belt.

Olympic gold medalist Liu Shiwen has also won 5 World Cup and 4 Asian Cup titles. She also has an Olympic silver in her kitty. One of the fastest players in the table tennis circuit, she has also been riddled with injuries, such as her elbow injury which took away most of 2020.

Wang Hao is a Chinese former table tennis player best known for his ability to perform the Reverse Penhold Backhand with exceptional skill. A former world number 1, Wang helped his team win the gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Wang Hao also has three Olympic silver medals under his belt.

Chinese table tennis player Chen Meng is the current world number 1 in singles. She also impressed her fans with her double gold wins at the Olympic debut in the Tokyo Olympics. She has countless other medals in her kitty, from all major championships, such as the Asian Games and the World Championships.

Zhang Yining is a Chinese retired table tennis player best known for winning four Olympic gold medals during her career. Regarded as one of the greatest female table tennis players of all time, Zhang won 10 World Championships and four World Cups. She is also one of the most celebrated and successful female players in the history of table tennis.

Lin Gaoyuan is a Chinese professional table tennis player who helped his team win gold medals at the 2018 World Championships, World Cup, and Asian Games. In 2018, he also won the singles silver medal at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals and Asian Games.

Hungarian-origin Romanian table tennis player Bernadette Szocs had the highest rank of 14 in the International Table Tennis Federation rankings and once topped the European Table Tennis Union ranking. A 2-time Olympian, she also has an older brother, Hunor, who is a national table tennis player.

Yau-Man Chan is a Malaysian technology executive, table tennis player, and reality television participant. He is best known for appearing on the popular reality television series Survivor: Fiji. He also went on to participate in Survivor: Micronesia, where he became the third contestant to be eleminated. 

Wang Liqin is a Chinese former professional table tennis player who was selected to represent his country at the age of 15. A former world number 1, Wang won 11 World Championships, three World Cups, four Asian Games gold medals, and two Olympic Games gold medals during his playing career. He also has two Olympic bronze medals under his belt.

Vladimir Samsonov is a Belarusian retired table tennis player. Renowned for his superb all-around style, Samsonov took part in six successive Olympic Games between 1996 and 2016. Samsonov is also known for winning the Table Tennis World Cup thrice and the European Championship on six occasions. He also won two silver medals and one bronze medal at the World Championships.

Jean-Michel Saive is a Belgian former table tennis player best known for competing in seven successive Olympic Games between 1988 and 2012. He won two silver medals at World Championships and six medals at the European Championships during his career. Jean-Michel Saive achieved popularity in 1994 when he won a gold medal at the European Championships in Birmingham.

Li Xiaoxia is a Chinese professional table tennis player best known for winning two gold medals at the 2012 Olympics in London. She then went on to win a gold medal and a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics. Li Xiaoxia has also won nine World Championship titles and seven World Cups so far in her illustrious career.

Liu Guoliang is a Chinese former professional table tennis player best known for winning two gold medals in the 1996 Olympic Games. He went on to win World Table Tennis Championships and Table Tennis World Cup, becoming only the second male player to achieve a career grand slam. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

Li Jiawei is a Chinese-born retired Singaporean professional table tennis player who represented Singapore in the 2008 and 2012 OlympicS, winnsng a silver medal and a bronze medal, respectively. In 2010, she helped her team win the gold medal at the World Championships in Moscow. Li Jiawei announced her retirement after the 2012 Olympics in London.

Though born in China, table tennis player Han Ying has been representing Germany in the game since 2010 and has even won the country an Olympic team silver medal. Among the few defensive players of the game, she also has 3 European Championship and 2 European Games gold medals in her kitty.