Continuing from the previous post...
(At 4 AM on May 10, 2026, Wang Hao sent a message to team doctor Liu Cunzhi, “Come find me after you wake up and give me a massage.”
That afternoon at 4 PM, the men's team final of the London World Table Tennis Championships was about to begin. The night before, the Chinese men's table tennis team's semi-final against France went on until after 10 PM. They didn't get back to the hotel until 11:30 PM. Wang Hao, who had been following the same routine for nearly ten days—showing videos to the four right-handed players and their coach for preparation, then showing videos to left-handed player Wang Chuqin for match preparation—decided to break this pattern. He let the whole team rest and get treatment, "eat well and sleep well," and postpone the match preparation until the next morning.
However, he himself couldn't sleep, feeling both excited and agitated. Compared to previous Chinese team lineups, this five-person team wasn't the strongest overall, but through mutual support, they finally reached the final.
Against the Japanese team, Wang Hao brainstormed lineups, trying to figure out how to communicate effectively to uncover the players' true confidence in playing certain positions. He thought about this until early morning when the team doctor, Liu, massaged his head. He seemed to doze off for an hour, or perhaps only slept for a few minutes, before regaining his energy and starting to prepare with the team.
In the finals, Wang Chuqin playing the number one position was a foregone conclusion. As for the second and third singles pairings, Wang Hao needed to understand the players' intentions. Before the four right-handed players came to Wang Hao's room to watch videos, Wang Hao asked Liu Zhiqiang to ask Liang Jingkun, "Whose videos do you want to watch?" The feedback was that Liang Jingkun wanted to watch videos of Tomokazu Harimoto and Hayato Togami. Upon hearing this, Wang Hao knew that Liang Jingkun was wavering between playing the second and third singles pairings, so he called Liang Jingkun to his room and asked him, "Is it better to play against Harimoto or Togami?" Liang Jingkun said they were about the same. Wang Hao then asked, "Do you think Lin Shidong has an advantage against Harimoto or against Togami?" Liang Jingkun answered confidently, "Lin Shidong and Togami are easier to play against." Wang Hao continued, "Do you have a psychological advantage against Harimoto, or does Lin Shidong have a psychological advantage against Harimoto?" This time, Liang Jingkun didn't hesitate: "It's definitely me." Wang Hao nodded and said, "Then you go play against Zhang Ben, annoy him." Liang Jingkun laughed upon hearing this.
Wang Hao then asked Lin Shidong the same question. Lin Shidong's answer was, "Brother Liang definitely has a psychological advantage against Zhang Ben." Wang Hao nodded and said to him, "Then you should prepare well for your match against Zhang Ben." Through conversation and observation, the lineup for the Chinese men's team in the final was thus determined.
Next, the Chinese team played a men's team final with a score of 3-0. Before the match, many people were pessimistic about the Chinese men's table tennis team, and many foreign teams openly stated that they saw an opportunity. The Chinese men's table tennis team successfully defended their World Table Tennis Championships men's team title, achieving their 12th consecutive championship.
After the match, many friends sent Wang Hao screenshots of his emoji. It was a GIF of Wang Hao "pinching his philtrum" when Liang Jingkun was down 3-8 in the fifth game of the first match. Wang Hao laughed and said that he was genuinely nervous, but he didn't actually pinch his philtrum.
The night after the final, Wang Hao couldn't sleep again. Looking back, he realized he'd only had one good night's sleep in London—the night he arrived. The rest of the nights were spent in tension, excitement, and even euphoria. He recalled how, from the closed training camp to arriving in London, Wang Liqin, president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, and head coach Qin Zhijian had always stood by the team, offering help whenever needed and providing unwavering support and trust. He heard the happy team celebrating Wang Chuqin's birthday, and he sent Wang Chuqin his own birthday wishes. Besides wishing him a happy birthday, Wang Hao had many things he wanted to say to Wang Chuqin, who had secured 10 wins in London. It was the unspoken understanding and secret between them, which he summarized in four words during our interview: "Those who understand, understand."
Back in Beijing, after drinking his own celebratory wine, Wang Hao went straight to bed and slept until 9 a.m. the next morning. Then, he joined us in reviewing the men's team's victory. A few days later, at the team's debriefing meeting, Wang Hao announced that Wang Chuqin, who had demonstrated the spirit and responsibility of the Chinese national table tennis team in preparation and competition at the London World Table Tennis Championships, would be the captain of the men's team, and Liang Jingkun would be the vice-captain. This decision was approved by all coaches and athletes. "We expect Wang Chuqin to inherit the responsibility and mission of captain and take the baton from Ma Long," said Wang Hao.
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On April 8th, the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced the list of athletes participating in the London World Table Tennis Championships team event, with the men's team giving the last spot to Liang Jingkun. "This decision was made after careful consideration. We not only consulted the coaches and senior players, but also the participating athletes," said Wang Hao. "Ultimately, everyone cited Liang Jingkun's experience of reaching the semi-finals in singles at four World Championships and winning the fifth match at the Asian Championships, which gave us confidence that he could complete the task of this competition."
However, his achievements were not the only reason for Liang Jingkun's selection. His hard work and dedication during the closed training period were deeply etched in Wang Hao's mind. “During preparations, I reminded him that he was weighing nearly 90 kilograms and needed to lose some weight. So every day I saw Liang Jingkun doing his morning exercises, running on the treadmill early in the morning.” On those days, Wang Hao arrived at the gym 10 minutes earlier than Liang Jingkun to wait for him, “just to make him realize that we were all fighting together, and the head coach was also helping him.” Along with Coach Liu Zhiqiang, the three of them would exchange glances at each other by the treadmill every day, tacitly understanding and encouraging each other during extra training.
When the closed training ended, the men's team was ready to compete. Wang Liqin and Qin Zhijian encouraged this men's team, which wasn't favored by outsiders, telling them that they had the strongest support behind them—the entire Chinese table tennis team—and that they should always believe in the team. Therefore, even in this brand-new five-person team, only Wang Chuqin had experience in the knockout stage of the World Team Table Tennis Championships; the other four were like blank slates. But Wang Hao told his players: "It's a fact that none of the four have played in the knockout stage, but everyone must have the heart to defend their title. When I was interviewed, I said we were there to fight for victory, but facing you, I want to say: go defend your title!"
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Before the match, Wang Hao kept nagging Liang Jingkun and Lin Shidong, repeatedly asking them who they felt had a psychological advantage against. “Actually, the athletes already have the answer in their hearts, but they also have self-doubt and wavering. We need to wait until they're sure before saying it out loud.” During this process, Lin Shidong worried that he would lose to Felix, and Wang Hao relieved his pressure by saying, “Placing you in the second singles is mainly to ensure you can beat Cotton in the fifth set. You've been playing against each other since the youth tournament, from childhood to now. Be prepared for this set.”
The third set of the entire match was the most intense. Liang Jingkun fell behind 0-2 at the start, a significant difference in score. He won 3 points in the first game and 1 point in the second. “Actually, if Liang Jingkun had played normally, he wouldn’t have had a problem against Alex, but he was too focused and a bit too nervous. Before the third game, I had him sit on the sidelines and rest for a while to calm down. I also told him, ‘Old Liang, this match is over for you. The next opportunity is yours. Cherish it and fight like a man,’” Wang Hao said. He added that if Liang Jingkun won the third game, he would have a chance. When the score was tied at 2-2, Alex couldn’t handle the pressure. “So before the deciding game, I told Liang Jingkun, this match isn’t up to him, it’s up to you.”
After the semifinals, the athletes went to the training hall to relax, returning to the hotel close to 11:30 PM. This led to the scene described at the beginning of the article.
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In the first set of the men’s team final, which went to a deciding game, Liang Jingkun started from 3-8 down, winning eight consecutive points to secure a comeback victory. “Although Liang Jingkun was down 0-2 in the first set, he played well, although Zhang Ben performed better in the first two games. But against Liang Jingkun, playing well doesn't guarantee a win. When Zhang Ben has a plan, Liang Jingkun has his chance. Liang Jingkun is a tough opponent for anyone; he plays psychologically. If your opponent has even the slightest idea, then sorry, it's Liang Jingkun's turn.” As Wang Hao said, Liang Jingkun rallied.
“I was indeed quite nervous when he was catching up, but not like in the videos my friends sent me later, where he was pinching his philtrum. It wasn't that serious, because I knew Liang Jingkun had a strong belief in him. I thought about the look in our eyes every morning during closed training by the treadmill; I believed that belief would support him to win the match.”
In the second set of the final, Wang Chuqin defeated Matsushima Teru 3-1. After winning, he pointed to his chest with his index finger, then pointed to Wang Hao. After each victory in London, Wang Chuqin would interact with his coaches and teammates off the court, sometimes by exchanging fist bumps, sometimes by pointing in unison. "Through these interactions, Wang Chuqin expresses his feelings for his country and his team. Every time we point at each other, I feel a mutual trust, which is crucial in team competitions," said Wang Hao. "Wang Chuqin's perfect record of 10 wins and 10 losses at the London World Table Tennis Championships demonstrates his responsibility when the team faces difficulties, his competitive ability, and his core role in the team. Through this experience in the team competition, I am even more certain that he is fully capable of fulfilling the role of captain of the men's team in my mind."
In the third match, Lin Shidong defeated Togami Hayabusa 3-1. He put down his racket and rushed to the coaching bench to hug Wang Hao. "I was incredibly excited when Lin Shidong rushed towards me. Later, I saw him talk about how I spent every day watching videos with them during preparation, and I was deeply moved. I know many people think I spoke harshly to Lin Shidong, but that was just to put appropriate pressure on him during daily training and matches. During the World Table Tennis Championships, we always communicated and prepared from the athletes' perspective, prioritizing their needs. I hope everyone can understand. When I hugged Lin Shidong, I could feel the trust between us."
This five-member Chinese men's table tennis team, initially underestimated, fought their way through to defend their men's team title. Wang Hao said that the team became more united after the London World Table Tennis Championships. After the match, he went to Zhou Qihao, affirming his perseverance, and patted Xiang Peng on the shoulder, telling him, "This experience will be a valuable asset for your future career and life.")
