Wang Tao (table tennis)

Wang Tao (Chinese王 涛/王 涛, Pinyin Wang Tao, born December 13, 1967 in Beijing) is a Chinese table tennis player. He won seven gold at World Championships and a silver at the Olympics.

Family

Wang Tao comes from a family of artists. His father was a folk musician, his mother was an opera singer, his older brother is a musician and his younger brother works as a circus lion tamer. Aficionados say about Wang Tao, he Outsmart the table also as an artist: even little athletic, he runs the opponents.

Since June 1, 1993 Wang Tao is married with Guanhua.

Career

With seven years, Wang Tao began with the table tennis sport. Two years later he moved into a sports boarding school, where he developed under the guidance of experienced trainers on. From the age of twelve he worked under professional conditions. In 1987, he won the national championship from China in the singles and with a club team. Then, the left-hander was part of the squad of the national team.

International success

At the World Championships, he twice won the doubles title: 1993 and 1995 with Lu Lin. In mixed with Liu Wei, he was three times world champion. 1991 1993 and 1995 There are also 1995 and 1997 title wins with the Chinese team. Silver he won in 1991 and 1993 in the double team.

Twice Wang Tao was nominated for the Olympic Games. In 1992, he reached the quarter-finals in the individual, in a double with Lu Lin He was Olympic champion. Four years later, he won silver in singles and doubles (with Lu Lin).

Because of its successes Wang Tao was elected to China in 1993 Sportsman of the Year.

National league

In 1993, Wang Tao in the German Bundesliga TTC Jülich, 1996 TTC Grenzau. In 1997 he left Germany towards Osaka ( Japan). Later - as of 2003 - he played for SV Weru Pluederhausen.

Results from the ITTF database

Swell

• Bernhard Krieger: Wang Tao, magazine DTS, 1994/2 p.38 -40