The new captain of the Chinese men’s table tennis team Wang Chuqin has said in an interview that his new role was very difficult, and “there is no turning back”.
In an interview with China’s state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday, Wang also said the position came with a lot of pressure, but it also gave him room to grow.
“I really don’t think I’m on the same level as Brother Long (past captain Ma Long),” said Wang, who was unanimously selected by the team’s coaches and players, according to men’s team head coach Wang Hao.
“I never thought I would be the captain – it feels very difficult,” Wang said. “But when you have nowhere to go, you try to turn that into a positive attitude, think about the way Brother Long played, the qualities that we all admired, learn from them and make them a part of myself.”
Wang’s selection was announced locally on June 1 at the national team’s first training session after returning to Beijing from the 2026 World Team Championships in London, where they won their 12th consecutive title.
Wang Hao said: “After the World Championships, we started to prepare for the second half of the season. The whole team worked hard – players, coaches and assistants – and those efforts helped us defend the championship.
