Chinese table tennis player Wang Chuqin shared the course of his struggles from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to the World Table Tennis Championships in Doha, claiming that keeping a positive attitude and mindset are the key factors in achieving victory in competition.
The rising star is known for his strong performance at the World Table Tennis Championships in Doha, Qatar.
In the event, he defeated Brazil's Hugo Calderano 4-1 as he won his first men's singles title. Also, Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha defeated Japan 3-1 to win their third straight mixed doubles title.
During a recent interview in Beijing, Wang likens the entire competition to a marathon, and each day's matches to sprints.
"I think it's like a marathon, and it's one that requires you to maintain a high focus continuously. It's not just about persevering, but about giving it your all to win, to strive for victory. In this kind of marathon, you must get through each day to reach the next. However, the next day is the same, and you have to give it your all to strive for victory, and to survive," he said.
"I believe that your beliefs can shape your thoughts and spirit. Your state of mind and attitude today depend on the strength of your own convictions. If you have aspirations and goals for this competition, you may not feel tired at all," he said.
For Wang, the last marathon-like competition was the 2024 Paris Olympics held 10 months ago.
On July 30, 2024, when Wang put his paddle aside on the floor in order to hold the national flag for celebration after the mixed doubles final of the Paris Olympics, a group of photographers rushed to the front to capture the moment and inadvertently stepped on and broke his paddle. The table tennis player had to change his racket and lost 4-2 in the round of 32 to Sweden's Truls Moregard.
In fact, aside from the broken paddle, injuries also plagued Wang at the Olympics. Due to over-training, he suffered rotator cuff injury that made it difficult for him to even raise and move his arms.
Reflecting on the Paris Olympics, he still considers the unexpected emergency to be a very painful experience in his professional career.
"Looking back on that experience, I feel that I'd never want to go through it again. If I had to face it now, I still think it would be very difficult. A person's mood, mindset, and overall state are truly important, which can shape your understanding and perspective on things, as well as the development tendency," he said.
"I think that experience helped me gradually understand myself better. Now, looking back at the competition, I would wonder if I had been in perfect condition at that time, including my paddle and arms, would I really have been able to win the Olympics? I'm still not very sure about that," he said.
After the Paris Olympics, Wang had been in the doldrums for over half a year. However, he never lost heart despite repeated setbacks.
"In the end, I asked myself whether I still had an attachment to table tennis. The answer is yes -- I am attached to table tennis, I'm unwilling to give up, and I don't want to let go. I still want to see what I can achieve, especially since I'm still young. I don't want to concede defeat just like that," he said.
Table tennis star Wang Chuqin stresses importance of positive attitude, mindset during sporting events
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, said on Monday that the relationship between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) stands at a new historical starting point.
Xi arrived in the DPRK capital of Pyongyang earlier on Monday to begin a two-day state visit at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, marking his first trip to the country in seven years.
Delivering a speech at a welcome banquet hosted by Kim, Xi pointed out that China and the DPRK, linked by mountains and rivers and sharing a common future, have seen their traditional friendship passed down across generations and grow ever stronger over time through the test of the evolving international landscape.
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, and the China-DPRK relationship stands at a new historical starting point, Xi said, noting that he has reached important consensus with Kim during his visit.
From the strategic perspective of the future and destiny of socialism, both leaders have agreed to seize the general trend of the times, respond to the shared aspirations of the two peoples, strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen strategic communication, expand practical cooperation, enhance people-to-people bonds, promote the high-level development of China-DPRK relations, jointly open up brighter prospects for the socialist cause of both countries, and contribute to the continuous progress of human society, Xi said.
The successful convening of the Ninth Congress of the WPK this year has made strategic plans and major arrangements for the long-term development of the Party and the country's cause, ushering in a new period of comprehensive development of the DPRK's socialist cause, Xi said.
As good neighbors, good friends and good comrades, the Chinese side sincerely wishes that, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the WPK headed by General Secretary Kim, the DPRK people will successfully accomplish the goals and tasks set by the Ninth Congress of the WPK and make constant new achievements in the socialist cause of the DPRK, Xi said.
On behalf of the WPK, the government and the people of the DPRK, Kim extended the warmest welcome to Xi on his visit. Kim said that Pyongyang was filled with an atmosphere of friendship on this special day as the DPRK's Party, government and people warmly welcomed their most distinguished guest.
Noting that Xi's first overseas trip of the year had brought him to the DPRK, Kim said this fully demonstrated the great importance Xi attached to developing relations between the two parties and the two countries, and constituted the most valuable support for the DPRK's socialist cause.
Noting the meeting with Xi came nine months after their previous meeting, Kim said that during this meeting, they reached important consensus on further advancing DPRK-China relations with new contemporary connotations in light of new changing circumstances, and exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern, which will surely accelerate the development of the DPRK-China friendship with profound historical traditions, and contribute to peace and stability in the region and the world.
The DPRK people take heartfelt joy in the remarkable achievements made by the brotherly Chinese people, Kim said, expressing belief that under the leadership of the CPC with Xi at its core, the great Chinese people will surely create greater achievements in building a great modern socialist country in all respects, realizing the Second Centenary Goal, and completing the new journey toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Xi says China-DPRK ties stand at new historical starting point
