CNG Throwback: Win Like A Warrior, March Like A Champion

The fun part of the team event is not just because there are more matches and having a second chance of winning another match and make a comeback even losing the first or two matches but also there will be a team cheering and supporting you during the competition. CNG Throwback will feature the men's team final at the 2009 Chinese National Games where Team PLA showed a strong team spirit.

Photo: Sina

Speaking of the men's team at the Chinese National Games, we must mention the PLA Team which has won 6 out of 12 men's team titles from the past Games. Sometimes they may not be the strongest team but they always possess the spirit of the People's Liberation Army, fight strong and never give up. 

Here is the men's team final at the 2009 Chinese National Games where Team Guangdong led by Ma Lin and Zhang Chao, was looking to win back the men's team champion which had come so close in 2001 and 2005. They were one step away the champion after Ma Lin and Zhang Chao won the first 2 matches, leading 2-0. However the PLA team halted their aspiration after 3 tough matches played by Lei Zhenhua, Wang Hao and Zhang Jike. Ma Lin made a fatal service error at the very end of the competition. At the end, Zhang Jike defeated the reigning men's singles Olympic champion Ma Lin and secured the team title for Team PLA. The men's team competition can be that exciting, even Olympic champion could lose their composure at crucial moment like that.

In 2009, Zhang Jike was transferred to represent Team PLA but he will be representing his home  provincial Team  Shandong this year, alongside with Fang Bo, Liu Dingshuo, Kong Lingxuan and Cao Jinze in the men's team event. While Team PLA is one of the contenders at the 13th Games as the majority of their men's team players are members of the champion-winning team at the 2016 CTTSL. We will publish a men's team preview in the coming days. Make sure you do not miss that and write down the team that you think will end up first in the team events in the comment box below!

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!