Fan Zhendong facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fan Zhendong
Personal information
Native name	樊振东
Nickname(s)	"Xiao Pang" (Little Fatty)
Born	(1997-01-22) 22 January 1997 (age 28) Guangzhou, China
Playing style	Right-handed, shakehand grip
Equipment(s)	Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC with DHS Hurricane 3 National (Blue Sponge) (FH, Black), Butterfly Dignics 09c (BH, Red)
Highest ranking	1 (April 2018)
Current ranking	2 (18 August 2024)
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	77 kg (170 lb)
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 1 0 World Championships 9 2 2 World Cup / Cup Finals 9 2 0 Men's table tennis Representing  China Olympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo Team Gold 2024 Paris Singles Gold 2024 Paris Team Silver 2020 Tokyo Singles World Championships Gold 2014 Tokyo Team Gold 2016 Kuala Lumpur Team Gold 2017 Düsseldorf Doubles Gold 2018 Halmstad Team Gold 2021 Houston Singles Gold 2022 Chengdu Team Gold 2023 Durban Singles Gold 2023 Durban Doubles Gold 2024 Busan Team Silver 2015 Suzhou Doubles Silver 2017 Düsseldorf Singles Bronze 2015 Suzhou Singles Bronze 2019 Budapest Mixed doubles World Cup Gold 2015 Dubai Team Gold 2016 Saarbrücken Singles Gold 2018 London Team Gold 2018 Paris Singles Gold 2019 Tokyo Team Gold 2019 Chengdu Singles Gold 2020 Weihai Singles Gold 2023 Chengdu Mixed team Silver 2015 Halmstad Singles WTT Cup Finals Gold 2021 Singapore Singles Silver 2023 Doha Singles ITTF World Tour Grand Finals Gold 2017 Astana Singles Gold 2019 Zhengzhou Singles Gold 2019 Zhengzhou Doubles Silver 2015 Lisbon Singles Silver 2016 Doha Singles Bronze 2013 Dubai Singles Military World Games Gold 2019 Wuhan Team Gold 2019 Wuhan Singles Gold 2019 Wuhan Doubles Gold 2019 Wuhan Mixed doubles Asian Games Gold 2014 Incheon Team Gold 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Singles Gold 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Team Gold 2022 Hangzhou Doubles Gold 2022 Hangzhou Team Silver 2014 Incheon Singles Silver 2014 Incheon Doubles Silver 2022 Hangzhou Singles Asian Championships Gold 2013 Busan Team Gold 2015 Pattaya Team Gold 2015 Pattaya Singles Gold 2015 Pattaya Doubles Gold 2015 Pattaya Mixed doubles Gold 2017 Wuxi Team Gold 2017 Wuxi Singles Gold 2017 Wuxi Doubles Gold 2019 Yogyakarta Team Gold 2023 Pyeongchang Doubles Gold 2023 Pyeongchang Team Silver 2019 Yogyakarta Doubles Silver 2023 Pyeongchang Singles Bronze 2013 Busan Mixed doubles Bronze 2019 Yogyakarta Singles Asian Cup Gold 2018 Yokohama Singles Gold 2019 Yokohama Singles Silver 2014 Wuhan Singles Silver 2015 Jaipur Singles Silver 2017 Ahmedabad Singles East Asian Games Gold 2013 Tianjin Singles Gold 2013 Tianjin Team Silver 2013 Tianjin Doubles Youth Olympic Games Gold 2014 Nanjing Singles Gold 2014 Nanjing Mixed team World Junior Championships Gold 2012 Hyderabad Singles Gold 2012 Hyderabad Mixed doubles Gold 2012 Hyderabad Team Silver 2012 Hyderabad Doubles Asian Youth Games Gold 2013 Nanjing Singles Asian Junior Championships Gold 2012 Jiangyin Singles Gold 2012 Jiangyin Doubles Gold 2012 Jiangyin Team

Fan Zhendong (Chinese: 樊振东; pinyin: Fán Zhèndōng) is a professional table tennis player from China. He was born on January 22, 1997. He joined the Chinese national team in 2012, becoming its youngest member.

Fan Zhendong quickly rose to fame. He became the youngest ITTF World Tour Champion. He also became the youngest World Table Tennis Champion. For over a decade, from December 2013 to December 2024, he was ranked among the top five players in the world. This is the longest streak in men's table tennis history!

Fan is the current Olympic gold medalist in men's singles. He won at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. This win made him one of only six male players to achieve a "Grand Slam" in table tennis. A Grand Slam means winning the singles titles at the Olympics, World Championships, and World Cup. He has also won two Olympic team gold medals. He is a two-time World Champion and a four-time World Cup champion in men's singles.

Fan's playing style is very exciting. He uses quick footwork and powerful shots called "loops" with both his forehand and backhand. Because of his strong build, fans and commentators sometimes call him "Little Fatty" (Chinese: 小胖, meaning "chubby boy"). He has many fans around the world, with over half a million followers on Chinese social media. In 2016, he won a special award called the ITTF Star Point Award. He was also nominated for the Best Male Star Award several times.

Fan Zhendong studied at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

How Fan Zhendong Plays

Fan Zhendong is a right-handed player who uses the shakehand grip. He plays an attacking style of table tennis. He uses his fast footwork and strong, well-placed loops to beat his opponents.

He uses special equipment to help him play his best. He uses a Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC blade. For his forehand, he uses a black DHS Hurricane 3 neo National Blue Sponge rubber. For his backhand, he uses a red Butterfly Dignics 05 rubber. Butterfly, a famous table tennis brand, officially signed Fan Zhendong in 2021.

Fan Zhendong's Amazing Career

Fan Zhendong has had an incredible career in table tennis. Here are some of his biggest achievements year by year.

Early Career: 2013-2016

In 2013, at just 16 years old, Fan Zhendong surprised everyone. He finished second in a big competition in Paris. This showed he was a rising star.

In 2014, he became the youngest male World Champion in table tennis history! He was only 17 years and 103 days old when his team won the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan. He also won the men's singles title at the ITTF World Tour Japan Open in 2016. In that same year, he made a "magic save" in a match that became very famous. It even won him the "Star Point of the Year" award!

Becoming a Top Player: 2017-2020

In 2017, Fan Zhendong continued to win many titles. He won the men's doubles at the World Championships in Düsseldorf. He also won the men's singles and team events at the Asian Championships.

By 2018, he was a dominant force. He won the men's singles at the Hungarian Open and Qatar Open. He also won the Asian Cup and the World Cup singles title. He continued his winning streak in 2019, taking home more World Cup and ITTF World Tour Grand Finals titles. In 2020, he won the Men's Table Tennis World Cup for the fourth time.

Olympic Journey and Grand Slam: 2021-2024

In 2021, Fan Zhendong played in the Tokyo Olympics. He reached the men's singles final, where he won a silver medal. Later that year, he won the gold medal in men's singles at the World Championships. He also helped his team win gold at the China National Games.

In 2023, Fan Zhendong had an amazing year. He won five major titles, including double gold medals at the Singapore Smash. He also won both the men's singles and doubles at the World Championships. He was named the ITTF "Male Player of the Year" for his outstanding performance.

In 2024, Fan Zhendong achieved his biggest dream. He won his first individual Olympic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games. This victory completed his career Grand Slam, meaning he has won the singles titles at the Olympics, World Championships, and World Cup. He is only the sixth male player ever to do this! A few days later, his Chinese team also won the men's team gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

Fan Zhendong's Tournament Results

This table shows Fan Zhendong's performance in major tournaments.

(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1
(S) singles event; (MD) men's doubles event; (XD) mixed doubles event; (T) team event

Images for kids

• 

  Fan Zhendong playing table tennis.

See Also

In Spanish: Fan Zhendong para niños

• List of Youth Olympic Games gold medalists who won Olympic gold medals