In their glory days of table tennis championship, they were once archenemies of the highest order. But now the grand slam-winning duo of Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui is in charge of China’s formidable table tennis national team. A series of contrasting photos of the two men, from their youth and from now, have moved many Chinese netizens. The photos explore more than 20 years of friendship and contributions to China’s table tennis legacy.

“It moves me so much to see them getting older together…and fatter together,” said one web user. Liu, who won gold medals for both singles and doubles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, coached the Chinese men’s team through the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 London Games. He was made the general head coach of China’s national table tennis team in 2013. Kong, who partnered Liu in Atlanta and won gold for singles four years later in Sydney, has been in charge of the Chinese women's team since 2013.

A picture of Kong Linghui and Liu Guoliang in their 20s.