Old heads, new faces light up Games

For table tennis legend Ma Long, a man who has won everything there is to win on the international stage, one major gold medal had always remained elusive.

At his sixth, and likely final, National Games, Ma, the only paddler in history to achieve a "double Grand Slam" — having won the singles title at the Olympics, World Championships and World Cup at least twice each — finally secured that coveted team gold, posting a single, fitting word on social media: "Perfect."

His long journey to completing his collection of titles also epitomizes the unique intensity and significance of the National Games, a stage where legends fulfill their legacies, and new stars emerge.

As China's table tennis continues to set the global standard, the domestic showdown at the National Games remains the ultimate test of excellence.

Paris Olympic gold medalist Fan Zhendong was crowned the men's singles champion at the National Games, successfully defending the title he first won in 2021. The victory, sealed with wins over world No 1 Wang Chuqin and world No 2 Lin Shidong, in the semifinal and the final, respectively, solidifies his top form, despite his self-enforced absence from the ITTF circuit since last December.

However, the table tennis titan stressed that nothing can be taken for granted at the National Games. "In these matches, I constantly remind myself that, against such high-level opponents, any momentary lapse in concentration could change the entire course of a match," said Fan.