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On the evening of July 30, after the mixed doubles final of the Paris Olympics, Wang Chuqin's racket was accidentally stepped on by a photographer and was broken in the singles match this afternoon. For table tennis players, the production process of the main racket is different according to the different technical and tactical characteristics of each person, and the degree of running-in is much higher than that of the backup racket. How will using the backup racket in the next game affect the performance of Wang Chuqin and the Chinese table tennis team? Upstream News has learned about this.

The championship racket was broken by stepping on

After defeating the North Korean pair Lee Jong-sik/Kim Geum-young in the mixed doubles final of the Paris Olympics, Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha greeted the audience in the stadium with the national flag, and placed their rackets outside the baffle as usual. When they turned to greet the audience on the other side, the photographers in front of them also moved with them, and one photographer accidentally stepped on Wang Chuqin's racket in a panic. From the live video, this "champion racket" has been deformed.

Wang Chuqin's racket has been deformed. Video screenshot

For table tennis players, each of them has a racket that they are used to using, which is also called the main racket. Unless there are special circumstances, they rarely take the initiative to change the main racket. Facing an event of the level of the Olympic Games, athletes are even more cautious in choosing and protecting their main rackets.

Table tennis world champion Fang Bo said that a racket that was stepped on like this would definitely be unusable, but the national table tennis team members would bring at least 3 to 4 rackets as spares when they go out to compete, and these spare rackets are those that they usually use and are only brought to the competition.

This little accident made Wang Chuqin very helpless. First, this racket is of great significance to him. Second, he still has singles and team competitions to play. "The photographer stepped on my racket and broke it. I think they may not have done it on purpose. But as an Olympic photographer, such behavior should not occur in the venue." Wang Chuqin said that there was nothing he could do about it. He could still play well with his racket. "I think this is God's will."

At 16:00 Beijing time on July 31, Wang Chuqin will face Swedish player Moregaard in the singles match.

Changing the shot at the last minute has an impact

For table tennis players, the manufacturing process of the main racket is different according to each player's different technical and tactical characteristics, and the degree of running-in is much higher than that of the backup racket. In the history of Chinese table tennis, there have been cases where the main racket could not be used in major competitions, which also had different impacts on the results of the competition.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Chinese table tennis player Wang Liqin played against Ma Lin. Wang Liqin had to replace his racket because his racket hit the table and was scratched. As a result, Wang Liqin was obviously not in good shape after replacing the spare racket and finally lost the game.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the main racket of Chinese table tennis player Zhang Yining failed the test, so she had to use a backup racket. Fortunately, Zhang Yining had a solid foundation and remained calm in the face of a strong challenge from Singaporean player Feng Tianwei, and finally won as she wished. After the game, Zhang Yining said in an interview: "The racket I changed is like the sole of a shoe. I can't let the opponent see it. I am very dissatisfied with this racket."

Zhang Yining recalled that she had to use a backup racket during the Beijing Olympics. Video screenshot

In 2010, Wang Hao, a Chinese table tennis player, played against Skachikov of the Russian team. Before the match, the referees tested the players' rackets according to regulations. As a result, two referees took Wang Hao's racket and measured it for a long time. Then they called Liu Guoliang, the head coach of the Chinese men's table tennis team, and Wang Hao to tell them that "the racket test failed". Wang Hao had to replace it with a spare racket. Wang Hao's feel was naturally affected by the spare racket. He was leading 2:1 in the first three games, but his opponent tied the score to 2:2. After a fierce battle, Wang Hao won the game.

According to the information, the International Table Tennis Federation stipulated that starting from September 1, 2008, the adhesive between the bottom plate and the sponge of the players' competition rackets must be replaced by water-soluble glue instead of volatile glue, which forced table tennis players to adapt to the new rackets. Ma Long and Ma Lin both said at the time that they needed to continue to adapt to the change of rackets.

The next opponent is not to be feared

Because his racket was damaged, Wang Chuqin could only use his spare racket to compete in the men's singles round of 32 today. His opponent is Moregaard.

According to Upstream News, in the latest ITTF rankings, Wang Chuqin ranked first with 7,925 points, while Moregaard ranked 26th with 1,010 points. According to incomplete statistics, Wang Chuqin has never lost in their recent matches.

On November 12, 2021, in the WTT Regular Challenge Nova Mesto Station, in the men's singles round of 16, Wang Chuqin VS Swedish teenager Moregaard. Wang Chuqin won three games in a row, swept Moregaard 3:0 and successfully advanced to the top 8.

On the last day of the 2022 WTT Star Challenge, the men's singles final kicked off, with Chinese table tennis player Wang Chuqin and Swedish player Moregaard competing for the gold medal in the men's singles event. After five rounds of competition, Wang Chuqin defeated his opponent with a score of 4:1 and won the men's singles championship.

Wang Chuqin has played against Moregard many times.

In the 2022 Xinxiang WTT World Cup men's singles quarter-finals, Wang Chuqin defeated Moregaard 3:0 and advanced to the top 4. The scores of the three games were: 11:8, 11:3, 15:13.

On July 8, 2023, at the WTT Star Challenge Slovenia Station, after Fan Zhendong eliminated Aruna, Wang Chuqin defeated the Swedish star Moregaard 3:0 and advanced to the semi-finals.

On March 14, 2024, in the men's singles quarter-finals of the WTT Table Tennis Singapore Grand Slam, Wang Chuqin faced Moregaard. In the end, Wang Chuqin defeated Moregaard 3:0 and advanced to the men's singles quarterfinals...

Previously, CCTV reporter Li Wujun commented: "Generally speaking, athletes will prepare a main board and 2-3 spare boards. During training, they will use the spare boards and the main board alternately. The main board and the spare boards are usually not much different, but in special scenes and specific periods, the difference is huge. Wang Chuqin's main board just won him the first mixed doubles gold medal for the national table tennis team. This is of great significance. Wang Chuqin can only use the spare board to play in the next game. What he needs to overcome is the psychological barrier. I hope Wang Chuqin can stabilize his mentality and prepare well for the next game."

Moregaard's latest ranking is 26th.

It is reported that Wang Chuqin had raised his hands and thrown his racket to celebrate after winning a game, and also smashed his racket in anger after losing a game. Therefore, it is not necessarily a big deal if the main racket is broken. The key is to look at one's own strength and condition. I believe Wang Chuqin will still perform well in the men's singles and men's team competitions.

Upstream News is compiled from CCTV News, Beijing News, Jimu News, Poster News, ITTF official website, etc.

Editor: Xu Yuanzhe

Editor: Li Yang and Guan Yi

Final review: Feng Fei