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What do most of us do when we get home from work? I usually have a glass of wine. Maybe a beer. A mixed drink if it was an especially awful day. Do I feel pressure from work and in my personal life? Sure, but that’s nothing compared to what I’m sure Ma Long has on his mind right now.
Ma Long is the number one table tennis player in the world. He’ll be in Rio this year as the favorite to win the gold medal, but the 27-year-old, whose game has been described by pundits as the most visually deceptive of all time, has a problem. He can’t let his hair down. After a day of training, he has trouble relaxing, which is why China’s coach has been making Long go to the bar after practice.
I can only imagine how much pressure is put on Chinese Olympians. The people that compete for a country like that get plucked out of school in Kindergarten to train for years on end without seeing their families. Ma Long just needed a few Sapporos after a training session to get his head right. You can’t really blame the guy.
“For Ma Long, two things are most important,” he told AFP. “One is that when the pressure gets very high, to make him go to a bar and drink some alcohol.”
Who among us simple working folk doesn’t feel like they need a couple stiff drinks after a long day at work? Ma Long may be from China but I think he just became my favorite table tennis player other than Kanak Jha. I’m so amped for these games to start, I’ll be covering table tennis for the duration of the Olympics so stay tuned. .
[via Daily Mail]
Image via YouTube
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jduda@grandex.co