Following the Paris cycle, Ma Long became a coach for the Men's Team. Over the past two years, Xiaopang gradually faded from international competition, leaving Wang Chuqin to step up as the captain of the Men's Team. Liang Jingkun remained as unpredictable as ever—brilliant one day, faltering the next—leaving Little Stone Lin Shidong as the one who could reliably step up and share the burden of carrying the team alongside the older players.
From the Beijing Team, a left-hander named Huang Youzheng had also emerged. Nicknamed "Little Butter", he had recently been promoted to the first team.
The most surprising development of all, however, was Lin Gaoyuan, who had somehow become the oldest player among the core members of the Chinese National Table Tennis Team. Alongside his existing monikers of "Mixed Doubles Sea King" and "National Team Trendsetter", he had earned a new title: "Gatekeeper of the National Team Core."
Chapter 288