Gold medalist Chen Meng of China poses with her medal on the podium after defending her Olympic crown in the women’s singles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. Xinhua
CHINA’S Chen Meng defended her Olympic crown after beating doubles teammate Sun Yingsha 4-2 in the women’s table tennis singles final Saturday.
Chen and Sun are members of the Shenzhen University (SZU) Table Tennis Club. Chen’s victory marks back-to-back Olympic golds in the women’s singles table tennis event, having previously defeated Sun in the Tokyo 2020 final.
Chen graduated from SZU in 2015.
In 2016, SZU extended an invitation to then-Guangdong star Liu Shiwen as well as to Chen.
Gao Ying, superintendent of SZU’s table tennis program, recalled that there were uncertainties about whether Chen would accept the offer, especially since the Guangdong team ranked lower the previous season. The Shandong Qilu Transportation Development (QLTD) Table Tennis Club, which has a better ranking, also made an offer to Chen, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.
Gao’s team promptly reached out to Chen, expressing their commitment to welcoming her regardless of the club’s standing. Ultimately, Chen chose to join the SZU Table Tennis Club and declined the invitation from the QLTD Table Tennis Club.
Sun also joined the SZU Table Tennis Club in 2016, and together with Chen, Qian Tianyi, He Zhuojia, and Wang Yidi, they formed the SZU Table Tennis Club’s first women’s team.
The team has competed in the Chinese Table Tennis Super League, winning the women’s team championship in 2020 and 2023. (Shenzhen Daily)
