Zhang Jike Has Locked His Olympic Singles Seat (Videos)

Tencent Sports. Zhang Jike has already been identified to represent the Chinese Team in the Olympic Games but its not yet sure what event or events he will be playing in the competition. 

Just this week, the Chinese Team had a very special announcement to all table tennis fans, revealing their playing lineup for the biggest competition this year, the Rio Olympic Games. As expected, Zhang Jike was included. 

However, there is still a degree of uncertainty as to what role will Zhang Jike be playing in the competition. Will he be playing in both Singles and the Team events or he will just be in the Men’s Team event? 

According to a certain Chinese analyst, Zhang Jike has already locked down his seat for the Olympics Singles. This is based from the fact that he has won the London Olympics and he is the only Grand Slam champion among the active members of the Chinese Men’s Team. 

Although last year was certainly a bad year for Zhang Jike, he was still able to show the coaching staff that he has recovered. This year, he surprised everyone with a convincing performance in the squad trials and an amazing victory in the Kuwait Open. 

Zhang Jike vs Ma Long 2016 Squad Trials
video kindly shared by janus770

Zhang Jike vs D. Ovtcharov 2016 Kuwait Open MS QF
video kindly shared by TTJanus

Zhang Jike vs Ma Long 2016 Kuwait Open MS Finals
video kindly shared by TTJanus

Aside from that, Xu Xin, Zhang Jike’s closest competition for the Singles slot is being eyed as the third person because of his skills in the Doubles. 

The Chinese Team has yet to announce their players for the Singles and who will play in the Team event. 

Photo source: Tencent Sports