Jan-Ove Waldner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jan-Ove Waldner
Jan-Ove Waldner
Personal information
Full name	Jan-Ove Waldner
Nickname(s)	老瓦 (Lǎo Wǎ, "Old Wa")
Nationality	Swedish
Born	(1965-10-03) 3 October 1965 (age 59) Stockholm, Sweden
Playing style	Shakehand grip
Medal record Men's table tennis Representing  Sweden Olympic Games Gold 1992 Barcelona Singles Silver 2000 Sydney Singles World Championships Gold 1989 Dortmund Singles Gold 1989 Dortmund Team Gold 1991 Chiba Team Gold 1993 Gothenburg Team Gold 1997 Manchester Singles Gold 2000 Kuala Lumpur Team Silver 1983 Tokyo Team Silver 1985 Gothenburg Team Silver 1987 New Delhi Singles Silver 1987 New Delhi Team Silver 1991 Chiba Singles Silver 1995 Tianjin Team Silver 1997 Manchester Doubles Bronze 1993 Gothenburg Singles Bronze 1999 Eindhoven Singles Bronze 2001 Osaka Team World Cup Gold 1990 Chiba City Singles Gold 1990 Chiba City Team Silver 1983 Barbados Singles Silver 1991 Barcelona Team Silver 1994 Nimes Team Silver 1996 Nimes Singles Bronze 1991 Barcelona Singles European Championships Gold 1986 Prague Doubles Gold 1986 Prague Team Gold 1988 Paris Doubles Gold 1988 Paris Team Gold 1990 Gothenburg Team Gold 1992 Stuttgart Team Gold 1996 Bratislava Singles Gold 1996 Bratislava Doubles Gold 1996 Bratislava Team Gold 2000 Bremen Team Gold 2002 Zagreb Team Silver 1982 Budapest Singles Silver 1984 Moscow Doubles Silver 1992 Stuttgart Doubles Silver 1994 Birmingham Singles Silver 1994 Birmingham Team Bronze 1984 Moscow Team Bronze 1988 Paris Singles Bronze 1998 Eindhoven Doubles Bronze 1998 Eindhoven Team Bronze 2000 Bremen Singles

Jan-Ove Waldner is a famous former professional table tennis player from Sweden. People often call him "the Mozart of table tennis" because of his amazing skill. In his home country, Sweden, he is known as J-O Waldner or simply J-O.

He is a true legend in Sweden and especially in China. In China, he is known as 老瓦 Lǎo Wǎ, which means "Old Wa". He is also called 常青树 Cháng Qīng Shù, meaning "Evergreen Tree". This nickname shows how long he played at a top level.

About Jan-Ove Waldner

Jan-Ove Waldner was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 3, 1965. From a young age, it was clear he had a special talent for sports. When he was just 16, he reached the final of the European Championships.

Learning from the Best

In his early career, Waldner and other Swedish players visited a training camp in China. He was very impressed by how dedicated and united the Chinese players were. He often said he learned a lot during his time there. This trip helped him realize he could become a top table tennis player.

Olympic and World Champion

Waldner made history at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He won the gold medal in men's singles. He was the first and, so far, only player not from China, Japan, or South Korea to win an Olympic table tennis title.

Eight years later, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, he won a silver medal. He narrowly lost to Kong Linghui in the final match.

A Legend in China

In China, table tennis is a hugely popular sport. Jan-Ove Waldner is the most famous Swedish person there. He is still one of the most well-known sports stars. In the 1990s, more people in China recognized him than the US President at the time, Bill Clinton.

Many people believe he is the most skilled table tennis player ever. He is definitely the most successful non-Chinese player in the sport's history.

A Long and Successful Career

In 2010, Waldner won his ninth Swedish championship. He beat Pär Gerell, who was born in the same year Waldner first became a Swedish national champion. This shows how incredibly long his career was.

He played for a German club called TTC Rhön-Sprudel Fulda-Maberzell until 2012. In May 2012, at 46 years old, he officially finished his contract with the club. This marked the end of his career at the top international level.

In 2012, he started playing for another club, Spårvägens BTK. On February 11, 2016, Waldner played his very last game in the Swedish first league. He then officially retired as a player.

When he retired, Jan-Ove Waldner had been playing elite table tennis for over 30 years. This is very rare in a sport that needs quick reactions and great hand–eye coordination. Some young Chinese players he competed against were trained by players he faced in the 1990s. Those players were trained by others he played in the 1980s!

Olympic Appearances

Jan-Ove Waldner is one of only seven table tennis players who have competed in the first five Olympic Games table tennis tournaments. Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988. The other players are Jörgen Persson (Sweden), Zoran Primorac (Croatia), Jean-Michel Saive (Belgium), Csilla Bátorfi (Hungary), Ilija Lupulesku (Serbia-America), and Jörg Roßkopf (Germany).

Grand Slam Winner

Waldner was also the first of only six male players in table tennis history to achieve a "career grand slam." This means he won the World Champion title, the World Cup, and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He achieved this in 1992.

The other players who have achieved this amazing feat are:

• Liu Guoliang, China (in 1999)
• Kong Linghui, China (in 2000)
• Zhang Jike, China (in 2012)
• Ma Long, China (in 2016)
• Fan Zhendong, China (in 2024)

Jan-Ove's Big Wins

Here are some of Jan-Ove Waldner's major achievements in table tennis.

Olympic Games Medals

• 1988: Reached the final 8 in singles and doubles.
• 1992: Gold medal in singles.
• 1996: Reached the final 16 in singles and final 8 in doubles.
• 2000: Silver medal in singles.
• 2004: Finished fourth in singles, reached the final 8 in doubles.

World Championship Medals

• 1983: Silver medal in team competition.
• 1985: Silver medal in team competition.
• 1987: Silver medal in singles, silver medal in team competition.
• 1989: Gold medal in singles, gold medal in team competition.
• 1991: Silver medal in singles, gold medal in team competition.
• 1993: Bronze medal in singles, gold medal in team competition.
• 1995: Silver medal in team competition.
• 1997: Gold medal in singles (winning all 21 games!), silver medal in doubles.
• 1999: Bronze medal in singles.
• 2000: Gold medal in team competition.
• 2001: Bronze medal in team competition.

European Championship Medals

• 1982: Silver medal in singles.
• 1984: Silver medal in doubles, bronze medal in team competition.
• 1986: Gold medal in doubles, gold medal in team competition.
• 1988: Gold medal in doubles, gold medal in team competition.
• 1990: Gold medal in team competition.
• 1992: Silver medal in doubles, gold medal in team competition.
• 1994: Silver medal in singles, silver medal in team competition.
• 1996: Gold medal in singles, gold medal in doubles, gold medal in team competition.
• 1998: Bronze medal in doubles, bronze medal in team competition.
• 2000: Bronze medal in singles, gold medal in team competition.
• 2002: Gold medal in team competition.

Swedish Championship Medals

• 1981: Gold medal in doubles.
• 1982: Gold medal in doubles.
• 1983: Gold medal in singles.
• 1984: Gold medal in singles.
• 1986: Gold medal in singles, gold medal in doubles.
• 1987: Silver medal in doubles.
• 1989: Gold medal in singles, silver medal in doubles.
• 1991: Gold medal in singles, gold medal in doubles.
• 1992: Gold medal in doubles.
• 1993: Silver medal in doubles.
• 1994: Silver medal in singles, gold medal in doubles.
• 1996: Gold medal in singles.
• 1997: Gold medal in singles, silver medal in doubles.
• 1999: Gold medal in doubles.
• 2006: Gold medal in singles.
• 2010: Gold medal in singles.
• 2011: Gold in inter branch tournament.

See Also

In Spanish: Jan-Ove Waldner para niños

• List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games