Chinese women table tennis players in the International Table Tennis Federation Hall of Fame
Chinese players have dominated table tennis for the last decade, as there are 17 women table tennis players in the International Hall of Fame, out of which eight are from China.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) established the Hall of Fame for the players and other officials who made distinguished contribution toward the glory of table tennis in the world. The proposal to establish the ITTF Hall of Fame was put forward
by Ichiro Ogimura in 1991, President of ITTF of that time. However, the real efforts were made by the late Jimmy McClure, who was also the first Chairman of The Hall of Fame.
The ITTF has made certain rules for the players to be entitled in the Hall of Fame. These rules are revised every two years. Generally the players who have won five Gold Medals in the Olympics or World Championship get the honour to be the part of history
never to be forgotten. There are 49 people entitled in the Hall of Fame, out of which 46 are players and three are officials.
The European players were dominant in the sport over the last 100 years but China emerged as a new face of table tennis, as they have been on the top of the world rankings. The most recent entry into the Hall of Fame from China is Zhang Yining and Lin Huiqing
from China. The highlights of the players are given below.
Deng Yaping won 14 gold medals in the World Championships, as she won the world Doubles for five consecutive years from 1989 to 1994. She won the World Championship in 1991, 1995 and 1997. Yaping won Olympic gold four times from 1988 to 1992, one Pro Tour
Grand final in 1996 and the Asian Championship in 1994, her name was added in the Hall of Fame in 2003.
Ll Ju, born on January 22, 1976 at Nantong China won the World Championship twice in 1999 and 2001, seven Pro Tour gold Singles and nine Doubles, Pro Tour Grand Finals one Single title and three Double titles. She has also won the World Cup Table Tennis
in 2000.
Wang Nan has won 47 titles in table tennis. She has won 45 gold and two silver medals in her playing career. She has won the World Championship Singles in 1999, 2001, 2003, Doubles in same years including two Doubles in 2005 and 2007. Nan has also won the
World mixed Doubles in 2003, Olympic Gold medals one in Singles and two in Double events.
Nan is a Pro Tour Winner in 16 Singles and 14 Doubles events. She has also won the Pro Tour grand Finals twice for Single events and five times for the Doubles. Three World Cup Titles and two runners up in the same event also are in her creditable performance.
Her name was entered in the Hall of Fame in 2003.
Zhang Yining, born in 1982 is the last one from China to be entitled in the Hall of Fame. She is not in the table tennis circuit but she is likely to appear once again at the Olympics 2012. She has won a total of 47 titles in her career, two more titles
than Wang Nan. She has won the World Cup Table Tennis four times in the last decade. There are 21 Singles and 17 Doubles Pro Tour ITTF titles won by her.
She has also won the Grand Finals of ITTF Pro Tour for Singles four times and Doubles twice. Yining won the World Single title once and Doubles thrice, winner of Olympics Singles and Doubles in 2004. She has now retired from the international playing circuit
and is enjoying her time in America.
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