Already missing Fan Zhendong for this year’s Asian Games, the Chinese men will have to defend their titles without the services of Liang Jingkun as well.
The national team vice-captain pulled out of the multi-sport event trials due to injuries, after pulling out of the WTT US Smash event, which starts in Los Angeles on Friday.
China’s coaches named the squad for September’s tournament in Japan on Thursday, and said world No. 10 Xiang Peng had been named last after winning the selection tournament.
“Because the World Championships took a lot of physical and mental strain on (Liang), leaving him exhausted, and with the recurrence of an old injury, (Liang) plans to use the time off to treat and rehabilitate his injuries and plan his future competition schedule,” Wang Hao, the men’s head coach, said.
Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, and Wen Ruibo earned direct spots on the men’s team based on their world singles rankings, while Huang Youzheng was selected through his combined doubles and mixed doubles rankings.
Liang’s absence attracted much attention, just a day after World Football confirmed its withdrawal from the second major league of the season.
