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| Photo: cfp.cn |
Ma Long emerged to the scene at the 2005 Chinese National Games when he was 17 years old. He lost to Wang Liqin in the men's singles semifinals but defeated Ma Lin in the bronze medal match and won his first individual medal at the Games. In 2009, he came into the Games as a rising star but fell short from winning the men's singles title losing to Wang Hao. In the later years, Wang Hao had been a huge barrier for Ma Long to move up the rank. Finally in 2013, Ma Long overcame the difficulties and won over Wang Hao the defending champion in the semifinals. In the finals, Fan Zhendong had a good game leading 3-2 but Ma Long was more experienced and finally walked away with the men's singles champion after coming so close to the top of the podium in the last 2 Games. Besides of watching the amazing rallies and technique played by the players, Chinese National Games is like a reflection and summary of how much athletes has improved over the years and sometimes seeing them celebrated in joy or left with disappointments are some unforgettable emotional moments.
This year Ma Long and Fan Zhendong are the top 2 seeds in the men's singles event. Can Ma Long defend his title despite challenges from the upcoming young players? Or Fan Zhendong is ready to start his era in the table tennis world? Who will be the dark horse who stands out in this competition? We will know the answer on 6 September. Although I make frequent updates so that I can include more CNG throwbacks before the Games starts, there are always more amazing matches than that I can include. No worries, I have created a playlist to include most of matches from the past Chinese National Games. If I have missed any matches, please remind me in the comment box, I will add them back to the playlist!
Thank you for following the CNG Throwback series. As the Chinese National Games table tennis event will begin in 3 days time. The throwbacks series will stop here but will be back soon. Stay tuned.
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