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)	J-O 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. Many people call him "the Mozart of table tennis" because of his amazing skill. In China, where table tennis is very popular, he is known as Lǎo Wǎ ("Old Wa") or Cháng Qīng Shù ("Evergreen Tree"). These nicknames show how long he played at a high level and how much he was admired. He is considered one of the greatest table tennis players ever, especially among non-Chinese players.

About Jan-Ove Waldner

Jan-Ove Waldner was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 3, 1965. His talent for sports was clear from a young age. In 1982, when he was just 16, he reached the final of the European Championships. He lost to his teammate Mikael Appelgren in that match.

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

Waldner won a gold medal in men's singles at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He was the first player not from China, Japan, or South Korea to win an Olympic table tennis title. Eight years later, at the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal in the same event. He narrowly lost to Kong Linghui in the final.

In China, Jan-Ove Waldner is very well-known. He was even more famous than the US President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. His long and successful career earned him the nickname "the Evergreen Tree" in Mandarin. Many experts believe he is the most skilled player of all time. He is definitely the most successful non-Chinese player in the sport's history.

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 his incredible longevity in the sport.

He played for a German club called TTC Rhön-Sprudel Fulda-Maberzell until May 2012. After that, he stopped playing at the international elite level at 46 years old. In 2012, he started playing for Spårvägens BTK.

On February 11, 2016, Waldner played his last game in the Swedish first league. He officially announced his retirement as a player. He had been playing table tennis at an elite level for over thirty years. This is very rare in a sport that needs quick reactions and excellent 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 against in the 1980s!

Waldner is one of only seven table tennis players who competed in the first five Olympic Games table tennis tournaments. The sport was first included in the Olympics 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).

He was also the first of only six male players to achieve a "career grand slam" in table tennis. This means winning the World Champion title, the World Cup, and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He achieved this in 1992. The other players who have done this are Liu Guoliang (China), Kong Linghui (China), Zhang Jike (China), Ma Long (China), and Fan Zhendong (China).

Olympic Games Achievements

• 1988: Reached the final 8 in singles and doubles.
• 1992: Won a gold medal in singles; first round in doubles.
• 1996: Reached the final 16 in singles; final 8 in doubles.
• 2000: Won a silver medal in singles; final 16 in doubles.
• 2004: Finished fourth in singles; final 8 in doubles.

World Championships Achievements

• 1983: Silver medal in team competition.
• 1985: Silver medal in team competition.
• 1987: Silver medal in singles and team competition.
• 1989: Gold medal in singles and 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 Championships Achievements

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

Swedish Championships Achievements

• 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 and doubles.
• 1987: Silver medal in doubles.
• 1989: Gold medal in singles; silver medal in doubles.
• 1991: Gold medal in singles and 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