US Table Tennis Campaign Ends in Team First Rounds
(Courtesy of Matt Whewell/Matt Hetherington) The campaign of the US Olympic Men's and Women's Teams ended swiftly in the first round of the Team Event in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. After superb fighting efforts in the singles events, the team did their utmost to fight for a chance into the next round of the team event. Despite their best efforts they were defeated 3 matches to nil in both rounds with the men losing to Sweden and the women losing to Germany. Both teams the USA faced had international rankings inside the top 30 players in the world as individuals across all 3 of their team players, making it extremely difficult to compete wit them. A great effort regardless and very proud of our team and their positive spirit in Rio!
US Women's Team Bow Out to Germany...Read More
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Ma Long Wins Gold in Dominant Performance
(Courtesy of Matt Hetherington) It was the showdown the world had been waiting for, Ma Long and Zhang Jike battling it out on the biggest table tennis stage in the world. For Ma Long it was a chance to seal the infamous Grand Slam, having won the World Cup on two occasions and the 2015 World Championships. For Zhang Jike it was an opportunity to become the first player in history to win a double gold at the Olympics and to claim an incredible double Grand Slam.
At each major Zhang Jike had found victory, Ma Long had been nowhere to be seen, previously having lost to teammate Wang Hao on many big occasions. 2015 was seen as the mental break Ma Long had been searching for, the world's most dominant player, never stepping it up on the big stage, had risen. Zhang Jike well known for his ability to perform in big events. This would be a test of mettle for both players.
Zhang Jike had been the more dominant force in the earlier rounds ...Read More
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Ding Ning Avenges London Loss in Rio
(Courtesy of Matt Hetherington) China's Ding Ning had tears in her eyes as she won the final point in the final of the Women's Singles Table Tennis event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In 2012 it had been tears of a different kind as service faults had mentally crippled the young chinese star and Li Xiaoxia had cruised to victory and gold.
In an incredible final performance which could really be pronounced as the perfect gold medal match, the duel went the full 7 games with Li Xiaoxia's power and speed over the table being matches by Ding Ning's left handed angles and complex serves.
The first 4 games went back and forth, close encounters and sways in momentum from both players, the game leveled at 2-2 and it was time to start again. The importance of the 5th game could be seen on the faces of both players as they gave it everything to hold the all-important lead going into game 6. It was Li Xiaoxia who took the game, leaving Ding Ning to need both of the last 2 games in order to win the match ...Read More
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A Rio Table Tennis Lament: That's the Way the Ball Crumples
(Courtesy of Andrew Keh/The New York Times) Rio De Janeiro - The relics were arranged in a sphinxlike configuration, as in some type of ancient burial ground. Massimo Costantini, the coach of the United States table tennis team called the formation "a sort of homage to the fallen."
They appeared on the first day of the Olympics, in a far corner of the table tennis pavillion: 18 white balls, all of them crumpled or cracked, arranged ceremoniously in the center of a quartet of water bottles. It was a fitting symbol of the frustration that has festered at the tables this week at the Rio Games, where the table tennis balls are giving players fits.
They do not bounce true, the players said. Their flight paths are unpredictable. And they frequently break. " I think this ball is very bad," Li Ping of Qatar said after losing a match. The player who beat him, Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany, fumed that the official competition ball "makes it almost impossible to compete." ...Read More
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USATT Announces Youth National Teams for 2016-2017
(Courtesy of USATT) 12 August USATT announced the Youth National Teams for the 2016-2017 period based on the selection procedures and after consideration of the US National Championships results and the recent USATT Supercamp in New Jersey.
They announced selection of 3 teams in both genders, Mini Cadet, Cadet and Junior categories who are now officially members of the national team in their respective age groups.
"USATT would like to congratulation the announced players for being named to the 2016-2017 National Youth Teams in accordance with the team selection procedures. We are excited to work towards the next generation of Olympic athletes for 2020 and beyond!" ...Read More
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 Here's What Olympians Eat for Each Sport (Courtesy of Fox News Health) Just what does it take to power Simone Biles' signature half-twisting double backflip or Allyson Felix's lightning-fast sprint?
It turns out, the amount Olympians eat can vary tremendously depending not only on the events they're competing in, but also their body type and lifestyle outside the Olympic arena. The average Olympic shooter, for instance, may have very different caloric needs than a swimmer like Michael Phelps.
"Calories really depend on the body size, so a 100-lb. [45 kilograms] gymnast needs fewer calories than a 200-lb. [90 kg] wrestler," said Nancy Clark, a sports nutritionist and the author of "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook" (Human Kinetics, 2013).
From weightlifting to table tennis, here's what the world's best athletes eat to power their amazing athletic feats. Check out the link for information on what athletes eat including contributions by Richard McAfee on table tennis calorie burning and diets ...Read More |
We Played Beer Pong with US Olympian Timothy Wang
(Courtesy of Daily Vice) Vice's Simone Sullivan showed up at the doors of the brand new Houston International Table Tennis Academy to learn some tricks from two time Olympian Timothy Wang. She makes a great effort and gives off some challenging vibes to the kids in the HITTA camp and strikes a nerve with Tim after repeatedly calling the game 'ping pong'. Next she decides to challenge Tim to a sport of her choice...beer pong. Of course with Tim preparing for the Olympics at the time he used water instead, but the trusty experienced table tennis paddler found victory in the beer pong too.
The video is fun and shines a youthful light on table tennis and a game it can often be mistaken for, beer pong.
Be sure to watch the video from the Daily Vice as it gives a youthful and cool news feature on table tennis and one of our own Rio Olympians, Timothy Wang. Definitely something we need more of to promote the sport ...Watch the Video!
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USAs Lily Zhang Plays Table Tennis with IOC President
(Courtesy of Matt Hetherington) A unique gathering occured on the 10th August as the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach decided to try his hand at table tennis against a challenging group of opponents. Joined by ITTF president Thomas Weikart were Brazil's local star Hugo Calderano, our very own Lily Zhang from the USA team and Australia's history making Melissa Tapper who became the first Australian to qualify for Paralympic and Olympic Games, the second table tennis player to achieve such a feat.
Lily Zhang who reached the 3rd round in the Women's Singles described the meeting as a "great experience and honor" as each of the three players had their chance to play a few exchanges with the IOC President.
It's not the first time Bach has been seen dabbling in table tennis, also having made appearances in Nanjing and Toronto out on the table. Nanjing had been ...Check it Out!
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 China Dominates Table Tennis Like No Country in any Other Olympic Sport (Courtesy of Quartz) Many countries are very good at this or that Olympic sport. Russia has a reputation for weightlifting. The United States, swimming. South Korea is impeccable in archery. But which country's sporting supremacy is greatest?
We ran the numbers to find out, and nobody dominates a sport quite like China does table tennis.
At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, six medals were given out for singles table tennis, three for men and three for women. China won all six. The sweep caused the Olympic committee to limit each country to sending only two players to compete, instead of three. Then in 2012, with only two men and two women, China won two golds and two silvers. This year in Rio, both players in the men's and women's gold medal matches are, again, from China. ...Read More |
 History of USATT - Volume XVII - Chapter 21 (Courtesy of Tim Boggan) 1990 Season-Ending International TournamentsAt the 17th European Championships in Gothenberg, the JOOLA-trophy was presented for the eighth time. The winners of the JOOLA trophy 1990 are:
Ladies Team competition - Csilla Batorfi (HUN)
Men's Team competition - Jean Phillipe Gatien (FRA)
The JOOLA trophy was introduced by JOOLA tischetennis GmbH & Co. KG International Sports Press Association and is presented to the player with the best score in the team competition of the World and European Championships. We think that the players who are fighting more for their team, for the country they represent, who consider team events more important than the individual competition do not receive suffiicient recognition from the press and from all of us that they generally deserve. In recognition of this special human quality, JOOLA Tischtennis KmbH & Co . KG and the International Sports Press Association have introduced the JOOLA trophy...Read More
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