Catch Up: Korean Trials For 2019 Asian Championships--Youth Continue to Rise in Preparation for 2020

While the 2019 European Games is just around the corner, the Korean Team held trials to pick its team for the 2019 Asian Championships which also acts as an Olympic qualifier for athletes from the Asian region on 19-21 June.

2019 Marvellous 12 Recap: Must-Watch Matches From Marvellous 12

Photo: Sina

It has been a ridiculously busy weekend but we all love it, don't we? There are the Marvellous 12 in China, the Top 12 in Japan, the Korean Trials and tons of national championships in Europe. It can be hard to follow every tournament in detail, so we write you this 2019 Marvellous 12 recap to help you save some time without missing the best moment of the tournament. 

Catch Up: Japan Trials for 2019 WTTC -- Lion Cup 23rd Top 12 Results

While the Marvellous 12 (Chinese Trials for 2019 WTTC) is in full swing, Japan has its edition, Japan Top 12, from 2-3 March in Sendai, Japan.

Catch Up: Korean Trials for 2019 WTTC Results

The 2019 Korean World Championships squad selection was held from 27 February to 1 March in Jincheon, Korea.

2019 Marvellous 12 Full Results

Results updates for the 2019 Marvellous 12, held in Shenzhen, China from 28 February to 3 March.

2019 Marvellous 12 Kicks Off In Shenzhen (Preview&Schedule)

The Marvellous 12, also known as the Chinese Trials for 2019 WTTC, will get underway this week, from 28 February to 3 March in Shenzhen, China. After an intense and pressurised qualifying round (stage 1), the team comes up with the best 12 men and 12 women, including Olympians Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong, Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen, to compete at the 2019 Marvellous 12, vying for spots at the 2019 World Table Tennis Championships (2019 WTTC).

Qualifying 2019 Marvellous 12 -- Results for Stage 1 of the Chinese Trials

The qualifying round for the 2019 Marvellous 12, Chinese Trials for 2019 WTTC, is scheduled from 12 February to 16 February in Beijing, China. 15 men and 16 women strive for making the top 6 in order to qualify for the Marvellous 12 and continue their hopes to make the 2019 World Championships squad.

A Little Housekeeping...

A. Back From Break
I am sorry for not updating the blog in the past weeks because I needed a break after finishing my studies (My reaction after submitting my paper: I am FREEEEEE!). Now, I am back, hopefully just in time, for a few updates before the Marvellous 12. Since I have taken a long hiatus, it takes time to catch up things being missed during the break. So please be patient and enjoy the upcoming articles!

B. 2019 Marvellous 12
2019 Marvellous 12 (Chinese Trials for 2019 WTTC) will kick off this week from 28 February to 3 March in Shenzhen, China. A new article is available here.

C. New CNT Coaching Team After Liu Guoliang's Return
The Chinese National Team has announced its new coaching team after Liu Guoliang's return. Check this article.

D. 2018/2019 CTTSL
Sorry for keeping you waiting. Check our 2018 CTTSL Guide - including full results (18 rounds + finals), previews and recap.

E. Trials for 2019 WTTC (CHN/ JPN / KOR / TPE)

F. 2019 All Japan National Championships

Catch Up: 2019 All Japan National Championships

Photo: japantabletennis.com

History has been repeated and created at the 2019 All Japan National Championships staged down from 14-20 January in Osaka, Japan. 

In Translation: Table Tennis Documentary About The Marvellous 12

As the big events like World Championships and World Tour platinum have ended, there are not many occasions where the top Chinese players show up. With 49 days left to go before the Chinese National Games, most athletes choose to utilize every minute they have to train behind the closed door. Well, we can still find some in T2 APAC, a pan-regional table tennis league and UTTL, India's professional table tennis league. However the number of Chinese players is nowhere near the Chinese National Games and the Marvellous 12. Fortunately, Tecent Sports has presented a documentary (was taken down after the Chendu Three incident) about the Marvellous 12 just in time to fill up the off season. 

In Translation: Liu Guoliang “I Want to Leave a Legacy in the Sport Not Just Numbers of Champions”

We know Liu Guoliang was an accomplished player and he is the head coach of the Chinese national table tennis team but what's next?

Throwback Thursday: The Giant Slayer -- Mu Zi

If you have followed Adam's commentary (the ITTF commentary), you must have heard of the term "Giant Slayer" which he (in the Chinese men's team context) referred to Shang Kun who beat Ma Long in 2015 Japan Open. "Giant Slayer" generally refers to a less-known but skillful player who pull down the favorite of the match. This week's Throwback Thursday features the women's "Giant Slayer", Mu Zi, who will be playing women's singles in 2017 World Championships.

Throwback Thursday: The Rising Star -- Lin Gaoyuan

As 2017 World Championships is around the corner, this week's Throwback Thursday features Lin Gaoyuan, who is going to make his World Championships debut in Dusseldorf. Two months ago, Lin Gaoyuan flared up the Marvellous 12, 2017 Chinese Trials for WTTC. He surprised everyone by beating Olympic champion Xu Xin twice and many other great Chinese players in the trials and clinched the second ticket to 2017 Dusseldorf World Championships where he will play in the men's singles. 

Photo: Osports

Throwback Thursday: Girl Power -- Feng Yalan

24 days countdown to the 2017 Dusseldorf World Championships. Every team is in the final stage of their preparation. The Chinese team is no exception (check the previous articles about their close-door training here). This week's Throwback Thursday features Feng Yalan who will play mixed doubles with Denmark's Johnathan Groth in the 2017 Dusseldorf World Championships. 

Photo: Sina Sports

In Translation: Coach Liu: "Lin has Shuffled the Men's Rankings" -- Closing Speech of 2017 Marvellous 12 with Eng Sub

Coach Liu wrapped up the Marvellous 12 by commenting the 6 players who have reached stage 3 and presented the tickets to the Worlds to the 4 players, Fan Zhendong, Liu Shiwen, Lin Gaoyuan and Ding Ning. Here is the closing ceremony of the Marvellous 12 with English subtitles.

In Translation: 2 Spots Set, Who Will Be the Remaining? -- Post-Marvellous 12 Press Confernece

After a week of intense competition, the Marvellous 12 has finally come to an end. Table tennis fans may be satisfied with the great matches played by the 'marvellous' players but many questions has popped out from our mind as well. The head coach of the Chinese table tennis national team, Liu Guoliang, answered some of them in the press conference. Here is the translation of the press conference.To watch the entire press conference, click here.

Marvellous 12 Results -- Stage 1 to Stage 3 of 2017 Chinese Trials for WTTC

Participants of Stage 1 of the Marvellous 12, Table Tennis Chinese Trials for WTTC

Men
Ma Long, Zhang Jike, Fan Zhendong, Xu Xin

Xu Chenhao, Liang Jingkun, Fang Bo, Zhou Yu

Yan An, Liu Dingshuo, Lin Gaoyuan, Zhou Qihao

Women

Ding Ning, Liu Shiwen, Zhu Yuling, Chen Meng

Feng Yalan, Mu Zi, Chen Ke, Li Jiayi

Wang Manyu, Yuan Xuejiao, Wu Yang, Gu Yuting

Marvellous 12 Competition Format -- 2017 Chinese Trials for WTTC

Competition format of the Marvellous 12

Stage 1: Round robin of 12 players will play the best-of-3 format. The leader of stage 1 (Fan Zhendong & Liu Shiwen) will take the spot to wttc, skipping stage 2 and 3 of the Marvellous 12.