A Champion Steps Down
Liu Guoliang stops his career at just 26
Sunday, July 28, 2002
ITTF Press Release
Lausanne, Switzerland, 24 July 2002. LIU Guoliang one of the World�s best players in the 90�s has decided to stop his career.
When the Chinese League is over in the middle of August LIU Guoliang will no longer be on the international scene � as a player.
However he has got the official approval from the Chinese association to become a coach.
With the decision, LIU will not be playing at the Asian Games � it is not yet decided if he might show up as a coach!
�During the last months I have discussed my future with the officials in my association and now the decision is taken�, says LIU who has been in the World top since he came into the Chinese national team at the age of 17.
The small fast moving penholder was a �horror opponent� to many other top players because of his pimple rubbers and his �nasty� services.
Though LIU is now only 26 he feels ready to retire.
�I have won all the possible titles that I could ever dream of, and since I started so early I have been on the scene longer than most other players. The new 40 mm ball and the new service rule is not good for me, so I have no regrets�.
Going from playing to coaching LIU suddenly opens a possibility that nobody ever thought about before: LIU Guoliang coaching his good friend and doubles partner KONG Linghui at the Athens Olympics 2004!
The retirement of LIU Guoliang is not a big surprise. With his style of play based on speed and with his wizard �hidden� services he was considered to be one of the players who would have difficulties with the bigger ball and the new service rule.
But what a retirement. When LIU Guoliang says goodbye he leaves the nr. 9 position on the World Ranking and he is reigning World Champion (team)!
He has a total of 4 World Championships singles and doubles titles (plus several team titles), 1 World Cup title, 2 gold medals, 1 silver and 1 bronze at the Olympic Games and almost 20 Pro Tour titles.
Knowing his personality it is likely that his ambition will be to achieve the same as a coach as well.