Olympic champion Chen Meng to ‘help younger players grow’, Fan Zhendong extends German stint

Olympic singles champion Chen Meng has admitted she is still hungry for more success, even after dominating women’s table tennis at the past two Games.

Speaking to Chinese media, the 32-year-old said her heart will always remain “on the court”.

“I will play as long as there are the right events – my heart has always been on the court,” Chen said. “I would resume training according to my condition and also go and watch the younger players practise, giving them technical guidance.”

After defending her Olympic title at Paris 2024, Chen withdrew from the ITTF world rankings in December that year and has played only sporadically since. Her last competition was the National Games last November, when she helped Shandong win the women’s team gold for the first time in 12 years.

“In the past, I used to get very caught up in winning and losing,” Chen said. “Now I want more to show sportsmanship and the power of perseverance on court.

“Coming back to compete after almost a year away was already a kind of courage. I did not dwell too much on the result any more; instead, I focused on the process.

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