Do you follow table tennis? If you do, you indeed are familiar with Liu Guoliang, a well-renowned table tennis player from China.
Liu is the second person in the history of table tennis to have won all three major titles: Olympic Gold, World Cup, and World Championships.
Many people see Liu as an inspiration and one of the best players and coaches in the history of table tennis.
So, if you are interested to know more about this exceptional table tennis player, stick with us till the end.
Here, we discuss his career, childhood, net worth, personal life, etc.
But first, let us have an instant glance at the quick facts.
Quick Facts
|
Name |
Liu Guoliang |
|
Nick Name |
Legend Liu |
|
Name in Chinese |
劉國梁 |
|
Date of Birth |
January 10, 1976 |
|
Place of Birth |
Xinxiang, Henan, China |
|
Nationality |
Chinese |
|
Religion |
Not Known |
|
Sun Sign |
Capricorn |
|
School |
Shanghai Jiao Tong University |
|
Father’s Name |
Liu Zhansheng |
|
Mother’s Name |
Wen Yuxiang |
|
Sibling Name |
Liu Guodong |
|
Age |
48 |
|
Height |
5 feet 5 inches |
|
Weight |
Not Available |
|
Eye Color |
Black |
|
Hair Color |
Black |
|
Profession |
Table Tennis Player |
|
Country |
China |
|
Profession |
Table Tennis Player |
|
Association |
Chinese Table Tennis Association |
|
Career Wins |
Olympics Gold Medal, twice |
|
Career Debut |
1996 Atlanta Games |
|
Marital Status |
Married |
|
Wife |
Wang Jin |
|
Children |
Two Twin Daughters |
|
Net Worth |
$1 Million – $5 Million |
|
Social Media |
Not Available |
|
Merch |
|
|
Last Update |
April, 2024 |
Liu Guoliang: Early Life and Education
On January 10, 1976, Liu was born in Xinxiang, Henan, China. He was born to a loving pair of parents who loved and supported him.
Further, his mother Wen Xiangyu was a homemaker while his father Liu Zhansheng was a former renowned table tennis player of China.
Until 2004, Liu Zhanseng worked at the Xinxiang Sports Commission. Later for the provincial team of China, Zhanseng was offered a coaching position.
Besides, Guoliang has a brother three years older than him named Liu Guodong. His brother is also a table tennis coach for Indonesia’s national team.
Henceforth, we can say love for tennis is in Gualiang’s gene. Liu is one educated person who graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
But unfortunately, we know nothing about his high school and primary education. However, if we find any information about it, we will update you.
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Liu Guoliang: Body Measurements
Liu is 48 years old and stands 5 feet 5 inches tall.
As per his birth chart horoscope, he is a Capricorn. Usually, people with signs are ambitious, loyal, realistic, and disciplined.
Another dominant trait is doubt, despair, and demanding. And Liu is the same.
Liu is considered the smartest, sensible, and intelligent person by his colleagues and close friends.
His black hair and eyes add extra beauty to his look.
Liu Guoliang: Career
Liu was just fifteen years old when he got an opportunity to be selected in the Chinese National Team.
In 1996, he made his Olympics debut, his first international debut. Liu even won a gold medal under the singles men category against Tao Wang.
Besides, he even won the ITTF Table Tennis World Cup in the same year.
Likewise, he won gold in the doubles match playing with Kong Linghui. In 1997 and 1999, he won World Doubles Championship, playing with Kong Linghui.
Liu won World Singles Championships in 1999, which was held in Eindhoven.
As mentioned earlier, Liu had been a member of the Chinese National Team, and as a representative of the team, he has won World Table Tennis Championships twice.
In 2000 Liu won the Summer Olympics and successfully vested gold in his name.
Liu grabbed a silver medal in the doubles match when he played with Kong Linghui.
Henceforth, Liu has won world titles in singles once, twice in doubles, once mixed doubles, and twice in team sports.
He was doing well when he retired from table tennis in 2001. At that time, he was just twenty-seven years old.
Coaching Career
Soon after retirement, he was announced as the head coach of China’s National Men’s Team.
Further, Liu is considered one of the most successful table tennis coaches in Chinese National Table Tennis history.
His team in the 2008 Olympics had won gold and silver for the country. Likewise, in 2012 Zhang Jike won gold, and Wang Hao won the silver medal.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, his trainees Ma Long won a gold medal, and Zhang Jike won a silver medal in the men’s singles events.
And the best part is, since Liu’s entry as head coach in 2001, the Chinese team has never lost any match.
But, beautiful, his team has only won every men’s singles and team championship at the World Table Tennis Championships.
In 2018 Liu was elected as the Chinese Table Tennis Association president.
Currently, he is working as a Vice Chairman and Secretary of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Secretariat.
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Liu Guoliang: Equipment
A bat with a penholder grip and a short pimple-out rubber is what Liu prefers. He is also known for his backhand with reverse topspin, his signature move.
His favorite blade is Stigma Clipper, a forehand rubber, and he uses Stiga Mendo Energy for backhand rubber.
While Liu was at the peak of his career, he in his forehead used TSP Spinpips and on his backhand, he used Mark V, and at that time also he was using the Stiga Clipper blade.
But in the year 2000, Spinpip rubbers were banned, and the same year Spin pip Md were also banned.
Liu Guoliang: Family Feud
Liu made headlines when the news of the feud among his family members broke out. He does not share good relations with his family members.
The feud with his father started when Guoliang disapproved of the decision of his father being the provincial coach of Chinese table tennis.
He disapproved of that decision; he even protested against his father.
When Liu Zhanseng opened a school and became a principal, Guoliang again did the same and protested against his father’s table tennis school.
Besides, as per his statement, if he and his father became coaches of the same team, it would create biases.
As a consequence of this incident, Zhangsen retired and went away to Xiamen. And after that, the pair of father-son did not speak with each other.
Feud with Brother
Not only his father, but Liu also doesn’t share a good relationship with his brother either. Guodong was supposed to be the head coach of the Chinese National Team.
But he was not considered as capable as his brother, so later, he was made head coach of the Singapore National Team.
His brother’s team did well in Singapore’s female table tennis. And Guodong, with a dream of being the head coach of the National Team, came back to China.
But again, Liu Guoliang did not want his brother to be a head coach, so he disapproved of that decision. In 2014, Guoliang became the head coach, which caused tension between the two brothers.
Liu Guoliang: Personal Life
Liu is happily married to his wife, Wang Jin. Wang is Liu’s childhood sweetheart.
When he was just sixteen years old, he fell in love with Wang. And now it has been twenty-eight years since they know each other and they still are together.
About Wang, she is also a table tennis player; in 1992, when Liu knew there were ladies in the team, he got excited.
There were two girls, but they covered their faces with a mask. Liu even made fun of the girls, but less did he know that the masked girls would be his wife someday.
After Wang took off her mask, Liu felt she was the most beautiful girl. And they both began to talk with each other and soon fell in love.
Many of you might not know that Wang left her career for Liu. In China, there is a rule that two teammates are not allowed to fall in love, and they would have to return home if found. So, Wang felt Liu was more capable she left her career.
Later, Liu proposed Wang for marriage, and they both got married. They are also blessed with twin daughters. His eldest daughter Liu Yujie is a golf player and has won many championships.
Likewise, Guoliang’s youngest daughter has followed her father’s footsteps and has become a table tennis player.
Liu Guoliang: Net Worth
The primary source of Liu’s income is from his table tennis career.
It is expected that Liu has a net worth of $1 million – $5 million. But unfortunately, we don’t know the exact amount of net worth that he has garnered.
At the peak of his career, Liu also earned quite a good amount of money from brand deals and endorsements.
We will update you if we find any further information about his car collection, property, and how he spends his millions on it.
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Social Media Presence
It is sad for Liu’s fans that he is not active on any social media platforms.
Liu is a private person and doesn’t like sharing much, so he has kept his personal life a secret as much as possible.
We hope Liu opens an account soon so that his fans can know more about him.
Apart from that, if you want to know more about Guoliang, you can find many information about him available all over the internet.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What playing style does Liu Guoliang follow?
Legendary Liu Guoliang follows the Penhold grip. It is the technique where the tennis racket is held head facing down and grasped like a pen or pencil.
What was Liu Guoliang’s ranking?
From 2011 to 2013, Liu stayed as the #1 table tennis player. So, basically, at the peak of his career, Liu mainly was ranked in the top list.
