Wang Chuqin: Paris 2024 medal favourite on lessons from Ma Long and why snooker's Ronnie O'Sullivan is his sporting idol
It seems a foregone conclusion for many table tennis fans that a player from the People's Republic of China will win men's singles Olympic gold again this year at Paris 2024. After all, Chinese players hold the top five positions in the world rankings.
What is up for discussion, though, is who exactly will do so: Can new world number one Wang Chuqin be the man instead of Tokyo 2020 singles silver medallist Fan Zhendong?
Fan lost to the legendary Ma Long in the Tokyo final; Wang - the new kid on the block who won Youth Olympic Games gold at Buenos Aires 2018 - would be taking part in his first "adult" Olympics at 24, having been an unused reserve in the team event in Tokyo.
With Fan's form seemingly hitting an inconsistent patch and Ma not expected to contest the singles event in Paris, Wang seems like a natural choice. After all, he's someone who became a doubles world champion aged just 19 in 2019, playing alongside Ma.
But speaking recently to Olympics.com and World Table Tennis, Wang says he did not put much stock into being ranked second in the world ahead of his former doubles partner.
"Maybe the world ranking is a microcosm of your achievements in the past year," he reflects. "It's not easy to reach second place especially now the level is getting and higher including among my teammates. Based on my results over the past year, reaching second (at the time) was pretty good. That's all it is."
But there might be more to it than that, as Fan has dropped behind Wang once more in the standings and Wang has added another title, the Singapore Smash, to his collection.
Wang Chuqin: Lessons from the GOAT Ma Long and surprise sports hero
Wang has had a quick rise to the top of the table tennis world since his YOG gold in Buenos Aires. That same year, he was part of the Chinese men's team that won the team world title while still being ranked outside the world's top 100.
A year later, he partnered Ma in men's doubles at the World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest, winning a life-changing gold medal. He finally cracked the world top 10 in 2022, and hasn't been out of the top five since that November. He's even had three weeks as world number one.
He puts his success down to what Ma, considered possibly the greatest table tennis player ever, taught him.
"My role model has always been Long-ge," he says, using the respectful address of "older brother" for Ma. "There are many things he does that I cannot and there are many things to learn from him.
"His journey in the World Championships, when he finally won in 2015, and then his performance in 2019 just three months after knee surgery. He is an inspirational leader in spirit. When you feel tired or have lost confidence, he is the one you look to," Wang shares.
"He wasn't a dazzling player at the start, he was just a main player with good talent but wasn't achieving much. But with his perseverance and spirit, he got there. Not only does he give up or give in, he also has a strong desire and attitude towards every match, every set, every point he plays.
"He's very selfless. Any team member who goes to him, he will help directly. He cares about everyone's feelings and greets everyone, asking if they have had a good day. He's very low key and humble in private."
But, Wang reveals, he has another sporting hero. And it's a choice that may be a little surprising.
No, it's not a football idol like Ronaldo or Messi, nor a tennis legend like Djokovic or Nadal. Instead, snooker takes centre stage here, in the form of England's seven-time world champion Ronnie "the Rocket" O'Sullivan.
"He and Long-ge are two different kinds of role models for me," Wang explains. "I feel like my inner character has more in common with O'Sullivan. Of course I also hope to become the type of person Long-ge is, but I feel similarities with O'Sullivan. His status in the snooker world and his achievements are worthy of everyone's appreciation."
Why Wang Chuqin feels "a little lost" over Paris 2024 – but doesn't feel pressure
Given his arguably left-field choice of non-table-tennis idol, maybe it comes as no surprise Wang is into his cue sports.
"Outside of the arena, I am relatively quiet. I don’t speak very much, and even don’t like talking to strangers very much, because I prefer the feeling of spending time alone or with one or two friends.
"If I'm not training I'm playing billiards, those two are the only things I do when not competing."
With his growing profile and new-found status as medal hopeful, it may be surprising to hear that Wang feels "overwhelmed" by the Olympics. But for an understandable reason.
"I am still a little lost; I don't know what kind of effort I have to put in to compete well at the Olympics," he explains. "I'm probably more lost than those who've played it before, because I haven't competed there. And with the Olympics being once in four years, no one knows what it'll be like again in four years. You may only have the experience of the Olympics once in your life, so I really want to do my best and go all out to play well.
"It's the most important event in all sports, so I'll try my best to keep a positive and optimistic mind during the training and preparation."
While he may feel overwhelmed with the prospect of making an Olympic debut, Wang says the attention he's now getting as a medal favourite is not something that bothers him negatively.
"I wouldn't say it's pressure. I just want to thank everyone very much; I am very honoured that everyone can get to know me because of table tennis, and like this sport and like me as an athlete.
"I feel that it is actually more of a motivation for me, and I hope that more and more people will fall in love with the sport of table tennis and the athletes who play table tennis."