Disappointing Showing for China's Table Tennis Team at 2024 Asian Games, Veterans Ma Long and Chen Meng Unlikely for Paris Olympics

The 2024 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar concluded with disappointing results for China’s usually dominant table tennis team. Other than a gold medal performance by Shi Yubin, the Chinese squad failed to live up to their typical gold standard, even losing in several events that were considered near certainties.

This lackluster showing has sparked intense discussions among table tennis followers in China, with much of the focus on two longtime stalwarts of the national team - Ma Long and Chen Meng. At 35 and 34 years old respectively, both are at an age where declines in speed and stamina become unavoidable, even for all-time greats.

Ma Long in particular looked a step slow in Doha, unable to summon his trademark explosiveness and losing a step to younger challengers. While still capable of moments of brilliance, the reigning Olympic champion appears to have finally lost the race against Father Time.

For Chen Meng, the picture is slightly more complicated. She was hampered by nagging injuries in Doha that clearly affected her play. When healthy, Chen remains a formidable force, as evidenced by her gritty silver medal in the team event.

However, questions abound whether she will be able to recover full fitness and form in time for Paris. The Rio 2016 gold medalist has nothing left to prove, and may opt to go out on her own terms rather than pushing her body to the limit for one more Olympic cycle.

The Paris outlook is brighter for some of China’s younger generation, particularly the 24-year-old Shi Yubin, who took men’s singles gold in Doha, and the women’s doubles team of Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu.

However, the gap between the old guard and new generation was starkly apparent in Doha. For a nation accustomed to sweeping the table tennis medals, anything less than total dominance will be seen as a worrying sign, fairly or not.

As such, Chinese table tennis finds itself at an inflection point. The Doha results made clear that the Ma Long/Chen Meng era is nearing its end. How smoothly the torch is passed to Shi, Sun, Wang and others will determine if China’s table tennis hegemony carries on unabated to Paris and beyond - or if Doha 2024 comes to be seen as the beginning of the end of an incredible dynasty.