Table tennis: World number one Chen Meng's task to continue China's dominance at Olympics

After years of knocking on the door, it's finally Chen Meng's time to show what she can do.

The 27-year-old will lead China's women's table tennis charge at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021, making her Olympic debut in the process.

Chen has spent some 10 years on the fringes of the Chinese team, but now will get the chance to extend China's dominance – the country has won 28 of the 32 golds on offer since it became a medal sport in 1988 – at the Olympics.

"That's a weight off my mind," she said to Xinhua during China's second national Olympic Games Simulation Tournament after being named on the national team.

"I can now focus on preparations for my first Olympic Games."

Near-misses

Chinese table tennis watchers were first made aware of Chen when, aged 17, she beat world champion Guo Yue in China's internal selection tournament for the 2011 World Championships.

She went on to win the second China Open in 2012, beating Tokyo 2020 teammate Liu Shiwen.

But at major international tournaments, it was a case of always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

She was China's sixth (and last) pick for the 2013 World Championships, where she reached the fourth round before losing to compatriot Li Xiaoxia; left out of the 2015 team; overlooked for the Rio 2016 Olympic team; a quarter-finalist in 2017 as the team's fourth-seeded player; and runner-up to Liu in 2019.

Chen had, in the meantime, reached world number 1 in 2018 with consistent performances on the ITTF World Tour; in 2019 she won China's Marvellous 12 competition that served as its World Championships selection tournament.

Her ability was obvious, but she could never quite perform at the right time.

Getting her chance

The Olympic Games are not easy to compete in as a table tennis player from China. Each country, regardless of standing, is limited to a maximum of two singles players plus one additional player if they qualify in the team event.

Unsurprisingly, many Chinese players at the lower levels choose to leave and represent other, smaller, table tennis nations.

Not Chen. She was perhaps too young – although clearly talented enough – to have participated at London 2012; Rio 2016 came and went with her outside the top three Chinese players.

But she stuck it out, reaching the top of the world rankings in 2018 and then, after the sport's return from 2020's pandemic-enforced hiatus, won both the ITTF Finals and Women's World Cup.

Now, she gets her chance to write her own chapter in China's Olympic table tennis dominance.

It will be no easy feat following in the footsteps of the likes of Ding Ning and Li, who each won three golds and a silver over the last two Olympics. Li retired after Rio 2016, while Ding – who has battled a number of injuries in recent seasons – failed to make the team this year.

In Tokyo, Chen will play both in the singles competition – which she undoubtedly enters as favourite, given her world ranking, although local hope Ito Mima will provide a stiff challenge – as well as part of the women's team.

"I was a little bit nervous to kick off the simulation tournament while knowing that I was adjust quickly," she said at the start of the internal event.

"It must be like this [at the Olympics]; not be totally relaxed but playing better and better as the Games go on."

Triumph and effort

The pressure will be on in Tokyo.

Chen, teammate Sun Yingsha, and men's world number one Fan Zhendong will all be making their Olympic bows with the weight of a nation expecting each of them to bring medals home.

China has swept all gold medals on offer at the last three Games; the president of its table tennis association, Liu Guoliang, has raised expectations of a fourth consecutive clean sweep while saying the team is confident of winning at least three gold medals from the five events in Tokyo.

Sun and Fan have both tasted Youth Olympic Games glory – Sun by winning the girls' event at Buenos Aires 2018; Fan the boys' event in Nanjing four years earlier. Chen has not.

All eyes will be on her to see if she can deliver.

Aside from singles, Chen will partner Liu in the doubles portion of the women's team event.

"Doubles is the first point in the team competition and is extremely important.

"I must triumph in both competitions, and put all my effort into winning every game."