By Henry Chen

“I didn’t expect a lot of fans will come. The Henan fans have really touched me,” said Zhang Jike.

Zhang Jike recently attended an activity with Chinese Team’s head coach Liu Guoliang. The activity was held in Henan.

“Henan is the hometown of coach Liu. Every time I come hear to attend an event, it gives me a different feeling. A lot of people like table tennis. This explains that the sport indeed has a deep connection with Henan’s history. This is really a good point for Henan,” Zhang Jike added.

After the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, head coach Liu Guoliang placed a very high value on Zhang Jike in the Team. The coach said that the Chinese Team has entered into a new period led by Zhang Jike, Ma Long and Xu Xin.

In Rio de Janeiro, the Chinese trio successfully sealed the necessary medals in the competition, both Singles and Team events.

During the event in Henan, Liu Guoliang shared his praise for Zhang Jike. According to him, Zhang Jike is one very great athlete. He has a strong will power to win especially when faced with a big challenge. The coach even regarded Zhang Jike as the soul of the team.

Hearing this, Zhang Jike can’t just simply acknowledge the compliment.

“Such title is a very high praise for me. I am extremely grateful for the trust of Coach Liu and Director Cai (Cai Zhenhua). Currently, I am working hard to adjust my condition. I am trying my best to be much better so that everyone will be more impressed,” Zhang Jike concluded.

Zhang Jike is currently the hottest sports star in China. He is active in the media right now and he hopes he gets to attract more people to sports. He wants to promote the health benefits and the entertainment factor of sports to people. More importantly, he hopes people would have more interest in table tennis.