Favorite to win 2024 Olympics?

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Silly me, no doubt, but I would like Ma Long to compete one last time in the Olympics next year.

i'm sure we all want, but another 8 months from now, could he pick up lost speed?
4 year cycle, and 2 only, many people needs to sit out. It isn't like those other sports/teams where one can take part in 5 or 6 OG....
Xu Xin, one of the best players (WR1 etc) never even got a shot

 

[bachikho]

Felix Lebrun and Lin Shidong are coming and Harimoto and Lin Yun Ju and Truls Moregardh are still growing. Interesting times on the horizon...

LSD's FH is not good (just like Harimoto), Harimoto and LYJ cannot rise higher anymore

 

[Mikey_TT]

Dimitrij or felix

 

[Shine]

Felix Lebrun and Lin Shidong are coming and Harimoto and Lin Yun Ju and Truls Moregardh are still growing. Interesting times on the horizon...

LJK and LGY are still gonna be here till LA 2028 at least, they have to surmount them first.
I'm mentioning them because *Lin Shidong so I assume you're talking about World Table Tennis in general, I don't think LSD is smelling Olympics till 2032, because FZD and WCQ will be here for the next three Olympics.

 

[Egon]

I would really like for at least someone not from the Chinese team to win the Olympics and I will definitely root for it, but in my opinion it will all end in a painfully banal way - Fan Zhendong will receive gold.

 

[Mikey_TT]

I would really like for at least someone not from the Chinese team to win the Olympics and I will definitely root for it, but in my opinion it will all end in a painfully banal way - Fan Zhendong will receive gold.

same..

 

[NextLevel]

LSD's FH is not good (just like Harimoto), Harimoto and LYJ cannot rise higher anymore

That's hilarious. Liang Jingkun didnt have a better forehand at the same age. Please let's kill this CNT inspired result distortion.

 

[NextLevel]

I would really like for at least someone not from the Chinese team to win the Olympics and I will definitely root for it, but in my opinion it will all end in a painfully banal way - Fan Zhendong will receive gold.

I actually think this is the best year for things to change and there are enough signs things can. Great players are showing up all over the world again. 20 years is a long time but it was the last time thr Chinese slipped. The CNT is clearly not as far ahead of the rest of the world as it used to be, the top 4 are not quite as unbeatable as they were in 2016 and to be honest, the semis in 2021 were scary. I go with Takkyu and Gozo on this one. I will root with my heart a little, not with my boring head.

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

I actually think this is the best year for things to change and there are enough signs things can. Great players are showing up all over the world again. 20 years is a long time but it was the last time thr Chinese slipped. The CNT is clearly not as far ahead of the rest of the world as it used to be, the top 4 are not quite as unbeatable as they were in 2016 and to be honest, the semis in 2021 were scary. I go with Takkyu and Gozo on this one. I will root with my heart a little, not with my boring head.

Head? Head is for like when you are doing your taxes or talking to your bosses / clients.

TT is all about heart!!!

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

Head? Head is for like when you are doing your taxes or talking to your bosses / clients.

TT is all about heart!!!
View attachment 27012

Love the Miyus

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

FZD and WCQ will be here for the next three Olympics.

Yeah, FZD will play till he is 40 years old? okay, you got something there

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I actually think this is the best year for things to change and there are enough signs things can. Great players are showing up all over the world again. 20 years is a long time but it was the last time thr Chinese slipped. The CNT is clearly not as far ahead of the rest of the world as it used to be, the top 4 are not quite as unbeatable as they were in 2016 and to be honest, the semis in 2021 were scary. I go with Takkyu and Gozo on this one. I will root with my heart a little, not with my boring head.

draw is important

if China has an easy route to SF
and then the rest of the best, are busy knocking each other out - then, that won't work.

 

[Shine]

Yeah, FZD will play till he is 40 years old? okay, you got something there

Ma Long is playing till 35(at least) because his younger team mates have just matured enough to handle the risk, Still the risk is enormous. You really think the CNT can't tell FZD and WCQ to stay till 34/35 if they don't find new players that'll better them OR if they're the only ones that can beat the CNT main threats most of the time. By 2032 FZD will be 35, WCQ will be 33. If not for them Ma Long will be still be no 1in the world, so this is an easy extrapolation. It's the same way it'll be for them. And this is not women table tennis too where they have to leave by 30 because they wanna get married or pursue other interests. Dima and Timo are still playing because on the big stage, they're still the best players Germany has to cause an upset despite all their injury/ form struggles.

I thought the CNT will do all it can to win. It's not rocket science.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Ma Long is playing till 35(at least) because his younger team mates have just matured enough to handle the risk, Still the risk is enormous. You really think the CNT can't tell FZD and WCQ to stay till 34/35 if they don't find new players that'll better them OR if they're the only ones that can beat the CNT main threats most of the time. By 2032 FZD will be 35, WCQ will be 33. If not for them Ma Long will be still be 1. It's the same way it'll be for them. And this is women table tennis too btw.

It's not rocket science.

Who has been the oldest CNT player (male or female) to play at olympic singles?
and you are comparing them to Ma Long?
and then you are comparing FZD or WCQ to Ma Long?
This doesn't make Ma Long too special any more

 

[Dominikk85]

I think FZD will finally make it.

 

[Shine]

Who has been the oldest CNT player (male or female) to play at olympic singles?
and you are comparing them to Ma Long?
and then you are comparing FZD or WCQ to Ma Long?
This doesn't make Ma Long too special any more

Is Olympics a race of age comparison, or a race to win. What's the Chinese precedence btw? Eliminating all risks.
Why should be CNT care about making Ma Long feel special long after he has retired or any body else? The coaches and the players there have one job - to win.
And about the oldest ; off the top of my head, Ma Lin retired at 33 years old. And that's if he was really born in 1980 ( I've heard rumours he was born earlier - Maybe Zeio can snoop out something on the Chinese dark web).

 

[NextLevel]

draw is important

if China has an easy route to SF
and then the rest of the best, are busy knocking each other out - then, that won't work.

It will be hard but it would be great if a Moregardh and a Lebrun showed up in the CNT QF draw. And maybe Aruna in the round of 16 and a Tanaka lol.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Is Olympics a race of age comparison, or a race to win. What's the Chinese precedence btw? Eliminating all risks.
Why should be CNT care about making Ma Long feel special long after he has retired or any body else? The coaches and the players there have one job - to win.
And about the oldest ; off the top of my head, Ma Lin retired at 33 years old. And that's if he was really born in 1980 ( I've heard rumours he was born earlier - Maybe Zeio can snoop out something on the Chinese dark web).

For CNT they have always used age factor for the OG cycle.

Ma Long almost retired last year.
He had some great financial incentives to stay on for another year, so it was both that and a very weak CNT he is leaving behind.

If Ma Lin is born in 1980, his last olympics was 2008
Wang Hao 1983/2012 is older based on registered birth year/OG year.
Ma Long 1988/2021 has the current record, which his body is fighting with time to stay on....I personally don't see him making it.
Wang Tao joint 2nd with Wang Hao at at 1967/1996

So you are confident that both FZD and WCQ can beat/match Ma Long's current record?
No one has done so before. Maybe not even Ma Long
I think the only logic your rocket science can come true is, if there is no more talents in the future.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

It will be hard but it would be great if a Moregardh and a Lebrun showed up in the CNT QF draw. And maybe Aruna in the round of 16 and a Tanaka lol.

I agree, you need all the young guns / potentials meeting Chinese players early.
and it isn't just loosing straights, but how to take Chinese players to the deciders. Tire them out for the next round.
You need everything to come together

 

[Shine]

For CNT they have always used age factor for the OG cycle.

Ma Long almost retired last year.
He had some great financial incentives to stay on for another year, so it was both that and a very weak CNT he is leaving behind.

If Ma Lin is born in 1980, his last olympics was 2008
Wang Hao 1983/2012 is older based on registered birth year/OG year.
Ma Long 1988/2021 has the current record, which his body is fighting with time to stay on....I personally don't see him making it.
Wang Tao joint 2nd with Wang Hao at at 1967/1996

So you are confident that both FZD and WCQ can beat/match Ma Long's current record?
No one has done so before. Maybe not even Ma Long
I think the only logic your rocket science can come true is, if there is no more talents in the future.

Why can't they match it/ beat it?
Ma Lin and WH did not play any more Olympics because they had juniors that could beat them and the opps consistently, that's my point.

On one hand, you're attesting to the CNT being weak, and on the other hand you're saying this weak CNT will most likely be lax with their winning incentives/ strategies. There's no concordance.

Humans adapt or they get left in the dirt, if the CNT doesn't find new players that'll shake off the top guys, they'll play as long as possible like the Europeans. The Chinese's gene isn't some special gene doomed to die out in their early 30s. What's in paying them a few more million yuan( and that's if your assertion about ML is true) cos all the interviews I've seen, even just after winning the Olympics, he reiterated that he wanted to keep playing, but of course people can always say "He was following the CTTA script bruh". Talk is cheap.