Houston, 29 November 2021 (TDI): Chinese and American players won the bronze medal at the World Table Tennis Championships in the mixed doubles category.
Chinese Table Tennis player Lin Gaoyuan and American Table Tennis player Lily Zhang played together in the mixed doubles category in the World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC). Houston hosted the championships and became the first American country to host the event.
The two players made history by playing together at the 50th anniversary of the Ping-Pong Diplomacy. The China-U.S. players made it memorable by winning the bronze medal together at the Championships. The two players won the bronze medal on Sunday, 28 November 2021.
Chinese & American athletes Lin Gaoyuan & Lily Zhang joined hands to win a bronze medal in mixed doubles at World #TableTennis Championships. This is the best way to honor the 50th anniversary of China-US #PingPong Diplomacy. pic.twitter.com/vu8HmChOnG
— Qin Gang 秦刚 (@AmbQinGang) November 29, 2021
China-U.S. team in the World Table Tennis Championship
The China-U.S. team lost the semifinal to Japan’s team by 2-3. As, there were no matches for the third position, therefore the China-U.S. team along with the Chinese Taipei team was given the bronze medal. With this bronze medal, Lily Zhang became the first American player to win the WTTC medal in 62 years. It was the first time after 1959 that the United States won a medal in the World Table Tennis Championship.
Another China-U.S. mixed team in the World Table Tennis Championships played together. They also played wonderfully but lost in the Pre-Quarterfinals of the Championship.
The Zhang-Gaoyuan and Jha-Manyu pairing in the World Table Tennis Championships is being called the Ping-Pong Diplomacy 2.0. Ping-Pong Diplomacy in 1971 helped to normalize the Sino-U.S. relations during the Cold War. The positive attitude of the China-U.S. players in the 1971 world table tennis championships in Nagoya, Japan paved a way for establishing diplomatic relations between China and the United States.
China and the U.S. are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ping-Pong Diplomacy. While the bronze medal won by the Sino-U.S. players has doubled the happiness of the two countries. The world is hoping that Ping-Pong Diplomacy 2.0 will also help the two countries to strengthen their cooperation.
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