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2008 Olympics
2008 Olympics
UPDATED: March 26, 2007 NO.13 MAR.29, 2007
Ping Pong Master Is Back
Former table tennis world champion and current national coach Kong Linghui is toughening up the Chinese ping pong team
By TANG YUANKAI
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First try

Kong took on his first batch of apprentices early this year-four young women all under 19, with the youngest, Liu Shiwen, only 16 years old.

After one month, Kong's apprentices showed their ability, producing eye-catching performances in the qualifying matches for the women's singles at the 49th World Table Tennis Championships, due in May this year.

Liu and Yao Yan each beat the world's top women's table tennis player, Zhang Yining. Yao also defeated Wang Nan, one of the most titled table tennis players in history.

Kong appeared at the event at first on the sidelines, shuttling among the different tables where his four students were playing. He said his major task for the competition was to see where each one of his players needed to improve. Though his coaching career has so far been short Kong has already shown ability and great potential.

"Kong gives me the biggest help in techniques," said one of his students, Mu Zi.

"I feel confident when I play as he tells me to. What he says is so helpful and I am just afraid of missing any word he says," added Yao.

It is very enlightening to receive guidance from Kong, according to Liu, who paired with him in the mixed doubles. "He has a clear and sharp mind, and I'm sure he will make a good coach. Other coaches are good at talking nonstop for several minutes but Kong has his own style-quick and simple, easy to understand," said Liu.

However, Kong is not always good tempered. On the first day of the competition when Guo Yue, one of his apprentices, lost a game 1-3, he was very upset.

"She lost the game because of her attitude, which is most intolerable to me," said Kong. "I will never allow such a thing to happen again in my team."

His strict approach seemed to work for Guo, who went on to win the women's singles at the Kuwait Open table tennis tournament this February, overcoming strong rivals Zhang and Wang.

"A player's mental state weighs much more than techniques," said Kong. "This is applied to all sports games actually. Women players tend to think too much and I have to broaden their eyes to let them see the general situation instead of being bothered by trivial things.

"Get your feet on the ground and work yourself very hard, that's the only way that a player can improve."

According to Kong the most difficult thing at the beginning of his coaching role was learning how to communicate with his female apprentices and understanding how they think. During training, Kong is serious and seldom smiles. But outside of training he shows a gentle warmhearted side to his students.

"We never have that generation gap between us," said Yao, who thinks Kong is quite easy to get along with. The thing she likes best about Kong is his sense of humor. "Once he told me to take off my tooth socket before I went on the field, as a way to lose some weight."

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