What we learned: Table tennis wrap-up from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

From 12-year-old Hend Zaza to 58-year-old NI Xia Lian, table tennis was at its hypnotic best at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: take a look at the most memorable moments, get highlights, replays, and what to look forward to at Paris 2024.

8 min

Table Tennis

(2021 Getty Images)

Table tennis took centre stage from 24 July to 6 August at the Tokyo 2020 Games as the most practised sport in the world entranced and enthralled.

172 of the world's elite players went head-to-head for 15 sets of medals in five main events.

China's dragon was breathing fire once more as the most successful table tennis nation in history dominated again winning four of five gold medals.

But there was joy for the hosts too as Japan's MIZUTANI Jun and ITO Mima upset the Chinese world champions in the mixed doubles to claim Japan's first ever table tennis gold medal.

Beyond the medals there were plenty of captivating stories too like 12-year-old Syrian Hend Zaza at her first Olympics, 58-year-old NI Xia Lian at her fifth, and German star Timo Boll on an Olympic podium again.

Read on for the Top 5 table tennis moments at the Tokyo Games, find out where you can watch highlights and replays, and see what's in store at the Paris 2024 Games just three years from now.

Top 5 Table Tennis moments at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

1. Hend Zaza, the youngest athlete at Tokyo 2020

Syrian table tennis player overcame incredible odds to qualify for the Tokyo Games.

In her hometown of Hama she trains using old tables on a concrete floor and the walls often tremble with the sound of artillery fire outside.

She's 12.

Despite losing to Austria's LIU Jia in her first-round match, the Syrian paddler had already achieved much just by being there.

"In my eyes I accomplished something. A twelve-year old girl playing against a 39-year-old and taking nine or ten points, this is an achievement," she said. "For sure, I wanted to win and take one or two matches, but hopefully in the next Olympics."

“It’s great for us that we can play, and we are able to overcome those obstacles,” she continued. “We want to show that even though we are in the middle of the war, we must do something."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Olympic Games (@olympics)

2. Chinese paddlers are pure gold

Titans MA Long, FAN Zhendong, XU Xin, and a debut gold medal for CHEN Meng helped China add to their incredible Olympic record of winning a medal in every single event since Barcelona 1992.

Both the men's and women's singles finals were all-China affairs.

Ma became the first man to defend Olympic gold when he spun and smashed his way to victory over World No.1 Fan in a mesmerising gold medal final.

Ma went on to win a historic fifth consecutive gold medal in the men's team final, this time joining forces with Fan and Xu.

China's women were no less impressive, Chen held off SUN Yingsha in another showcase for the sport, with Chen winning a six-game thriller.

Then a Chen-Sun-WANG Manyu trio claimed the women's team title too.

China continue to set the standard and bring the magic to the table at every single Olympics.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by World Table Tennis (@wtt)

3. Japan's first ever table tennis Olympic gold

China were prevented from completing yet another imperious gold medal sweep by Japan's ITO Mima and MIZUTANI Jun.

In the first-ever mixed doubles Olympic gold medal match Ito and Mizutani came from behind in an epic seven-setter to go where no other Japanese paddlers have gone before: the top of the podium.

Chinese world champions Xu and LIU Shiwen roared into the game winning the first two games 11-5, 11-7 but the home duo managed to flip the script claiming gold with a final 4-3 match score.

It’s the first time China has missed out on gold since the men's singles at Athens 2004.

“China has beaten us so many times at the Olympics and at the World Championships.” Mizutani said. “I think we were able to avenge all those losses here at the Tokyo Games. I’m really happy.”

“I’m really really really happy,” beamed Ito. “We were able to enjoy ourselves up to the very end because everyone, including our team staff, cheered us on."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by World Table Tennis (@wtt)

4. Ito makes more history

Ito wasn’t finished after the mixed doubles either.

The 20-year-old paddle prodigy made the semi-final of the women’s singles event but lost out to China’s Sun, despite looking the better player for the majority of the first two games.

The home hero bounced back by winning a historic bronze medal against Singapore’s YU Mengyu by a commanding 4-1 score-line.

Ito became the first woman from Japan to win a women’s singles table tennis Olympic medal.

But she wasn’t happy, her fiercely competitive nature shining through in post-match interviews:

"I was unable to turn the match around. I paid the price for not being able to close out the second game," Ito said after losing the semi-final. "It's bitterly disappointing. It's not like my form is that bad."

And after the bronze medal match she said:

“I’m very happy that I won, but my feeling of frustration is bigger.”

(2021 Getty Images)

5. Timo Boll: Fourth Olympic medal

Germany’s 40-year-old paddler is a huge star in China and he was pretty big in Japan too.

Team silver at Beijing 2008, bronze medals in team at London 2012 and Rio 2016, Boll has been around for a while.

He dreamed of topping the podium in Tokyo in the men's singles tournament but it wasn’t to be, losing out to the Republic of Korea’s JEOUNG Young Sik in the quarter-finals.

"This is my sixth attempt and of course I'm frustrated that it didn’t work out,” he said in a video recorded in the Tokyo 2020 Athletes' Village.

But his Olympics were far from over as the German team went all the way to the final in the men’s team competition.

Gold was a step too far against China’s all-conquering Ma, Xu and Fan, who ran away with the gold medal match on a 3-0 scoreline.

But a second silver medal to add to his collection, four Olympic medals in all, isn’t a bad return for a man who has done much for table tennis outside Asia.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Timo Boll (@timoboll)

One last look

And speaking of raising the profile of the game outside Asia, how about Egypt’s Omar Assar who was a table-top sensation in Tokyo.

Assar defeated Sweden’s Mattias Falck, then CHUANG Chih-Yuan of Chinese Taipei in the round of 16 of the men’s singles.

That made him the first Egyptian and the first player from any Arabic-speaking country to reach the men’s quarter-finals.

“I’m very proud of myself and also happy with the support I got from my family. They woke up so early in Egypt and Germany. Making my son wear a shirt with the logo of Egypt. It is really nice. To be able to play in the quarter-final is a very big thing for me,” he said.

The Egyptian lost out to eventual singles champion Ma Long in the quarter-final but his page of Olympic history stays written.

What's up Paris 2024?

Now we’re just three years out from the next Olympic Games at Paris 2024 and there’s already a lot to look forward to.

China’s dominance could be under threat from rising stars like Japan’s Ito, who will use the disappointment of losing the women’s singles semi-final as fuel for the fire in Paris.

Then there’s another Japanese sensation who came into his home Games with great expectations, HARIMOTO Tomokazu.

Unfortunately for the 18-year-old it didn’t happen, as he lost out to Slovenia’s Darko Jorgic in the round of 16, but the experience will have served him well for Paris.

What about China’s golden dragon Ma Long, can he add to his historic five gold medals in Paris when he would be 35 years of age?

Can Hend Zaza compete with the elite at her second Games where she’ll still be just 15?

Will Timo Boll make one last run at Olympic gold?

We can’t wait to find out.