Kong Linghui

Kong Linghui (simplified Chinese: 孔令辉; traditional Chinese: 孔令輝; pinyin: Kǒng Lìnghuī; born October 18, 1975) is a retired Chinese table tennis player. He was a talented athlete who represented his country on the international stage. Kong competed in three Summer Olympics: the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 2000 Summer Olympics, and the 2004 Summer Olympics. His participation in these prestigious events showcased his skill and dedication to the sport.

One interesting fact about Kong is that he is a 76th generation descendant of Confucius, the famous ancient Chinese philosopher. This connection makes him part of a long and respected family lineage. Throughout his career, Kong Linghui helped raise the profile of table tennis in China and inspired many young players to take up the sport. Today, he is remembered as one of China's notable athletes from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In this Chinese name, the family name is and is a generation name.

Career

In 1996, Kong won the gold medal in the men's doubles competition together with Liu Guoliang. Four years later, he won the gold medal in the men's singles competition and the silver medal in the doubles event again together with Liu Guoliang. This achievement made him the third player to win titles in the Olympics, World Cup, and World Championships.

Kong's playing style was influenced by top European players from the late 1980s and 1990s, including Jan Ove Waldner and Jörgen Persson. To learn their style, he was sent to Sweden, where he trained before returning to China in 1993. By 1995, he had become ranked world No. 1. Today, Kong is recognized as one of the all-time greats of table tennis and serves as Head Coach of China's National Women's Team.

Controversy

In May 2017, Kong was sued by Marina Bay Sands in Singapore for not fully repaying a loan of S$1 million he borrowed from the hotel's casino in February 2015. He had repaid part of the loan but still owed some money. After this, Kong shared on Weibo that he was in Singapore with his family and had visited the casino. The Chinese Table Tennis Association paused his role as a coach and asked him to return from the World Table Tennis Championships in Germany while they looked into the situation.