93-year-old wins two world ping pong tournaments, ready for the third

(Photo/Red Star News)

“With one more world championship, I can apply for the Guinness World Records,” said Chen Yongning, a 93-year old ping pong amateur in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Red Star News reported on April 2.

With 80 years of experience and a racket that he bought from a stationery shop for 15 yuan (about $2.24), Chen won two World Veteran Championships in 2016 and 2018.

“I’m not tired. I play with my hands and arms, and my feet don’t move, it’s not strenuous at all,” said Chen after playing ping pong for 40 minutes with a younger player surnamed Ye.

“Chen is physically strong. He can usually play several games with us,” said Ye, explaining that though troubled by lumbago, Chen is energetic.

“Chen is a frequent player. As long as he lives in Sandaoyan Town, he will play ping pong in this base every day,” said Zeng Junxian, a fellow enthusiast in a ping pong training base in Sandaoyan Town, Pidu District of Chengdu.

Zeng disclosed that Chen is good at long pips penhold, which is difficult to play against.

Chen started to play ping pong when he was 13 years old. He explains that while playing with friends in his school playground, the headmaster saw Chen meticulously follow the rules of a game he was playing, while the other children tried to play tricks on each other. The headmaster called him over, gave him a ball and racket, and asked Chen to play with him.

(Photo/Red Star News)

Chen didn’t know how to play ping pong at the time, so he just followed the headmaster’s lead. Ever since that moment, Chen said, he was hooked.

As he grew up, Chen worked in Shanxi Agricultural College (now Shanxi Agricultural University), where there were excellent ping pong facilities. He honed his skills and took part in various competitions in his spare time, winning a number of local medals.

After winning two world championships, people now stop Chen in the street to ask for photos and want to see his medals, he said.

(Photo/Red Star News)

Chen has a son and a daughter. Both of them love their father and are successful in their own fields. One of them will accompany Chen to the 20th World Veteran Championships which will be held in France next year.

When asked how long he will continue to play, Chen said he will keep playing until he is 100.