Table tennis icon Ma Long gears up for his fourth Olympic appearance in Paris, leading China's men's team alongside world champions Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong, while Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu headline the women's squad.
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Ma Long, a legendary figure in Chinese table tennis with three team golds and two consecutive singles titles at the Olympics, is poised to compete in his fourth Olympic Games in Paris.
The Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) announced its full squad for the Paris 2024 Olympics here on Tuesday, naming 35-year-old Ma for the men's team event, alongside Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong, who are currently the top two players in the world rankings. Liang Jingkun will serve as an alternate (P-card holder).
Last week, the CTTA named Wang and Fan as the men's singles competitors for Paris, leaving fans disappointed that Ma would not have a chance to defend his singles crown.
On the women's side, Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng will represent China in the singles events. Wang Manyu has been selected for the team event, with Wang Yidi named as the alternate. The selection for the women's singles was based on the latest world rankings released on Tuesday.
Sun Yingsha leads with 9,200 points, while Chen Meng, fresh off her singles title win at the Saudi Smash on Monday, has climbed to second place with 6,410 points. ■
