Jan-Ove Waldner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Jan-Ove Waldner |
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| Born: | 3 October 1965 Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Occupation: | Table tennis player |
Jan-Ove (JO) Waldner (nicknamed Lao Wa in China) is a Swedish table tennis player, born October 3, 1965. He is known as the Mozart of table tennis and is a legend in both his native Sweden as well as in China.
Waldner's potential was recognized at an early age and was displayed in 1982 as a 17 year old when he reached the final of the European Championship, losing to teammate Mikael Appelgren. As a youngster he along with other Swedish players went to a training camp in China and was amazed by their dedication, and claims he learned much during his stay.
In China, a country that loves table tennis, he is the best known Swede and the best known sports personality. Waldner is referred to as "the evergreen tree" as well as "the Michael Jordan of Table Tennis", and people often flock to see him when he comes.
Waldner has as of 2006 been playing high level table tennis for some 20 years, unusual in the table tennis world where hand-eye coordination and quick reactions are important. Some young Chinese players that he played recently were trained by those he played in the 1990s, who were in turn trained by others he played in the 1980s.
In the 2004 Olympics he still proved to be among the top players by reaching the semi-finals and defeating both Timo Boll of Germany and a high ranked Chinese player, Ma Lin. Today he plays for TTC Rhön-Sprudel Fulda-Maberzell in the German Bundesliga. He recevied the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1992
[edit] World Championship
- 1983 Silver medal in team competition
- 1985 Silver medal in team competition
- 1987 Silver medal in single, silver medal in team competition
- 1989 Gold medal in single, gold medal in team competition
- 1991 Silver medal in single, gold medal in team competition
- 1993 Bronze medal in single, gold medal in team competition
- 1995 Silver medal in team competition
- 1997 Gold medal in single, silver medal in double
- 1999 Bronze medal in single
- 2000 Gold medal in team competition
[edit] Olympic Games
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Table tennis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1992 Barcelona | Singles | |
| Silver | 2000 Sydney | Singles | |
- 1988 Final 8 in single
- 1992 Gold medal in single
- 1996 Final 16 in single
- 2000 Silver medal in single
- 2004 Fourth in single
[edit] References
- Svenskar i världen (Swedes in the World), Spring edition 2005, Swedish magazine.
| Preceded by Pernilla Wiberg |
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal 1992 |
Succeeded by Torgny Mogren |
Categories: 1965 births | Living people | Olympic table tennis players of Sweden | Swedish table tennis players | Table tennis players at the 1988 Summer Olympics | Table tennis players at the 1992 Summer Olympics | Table tennis players at the 1996 Summer Olympics | Table tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics | Table tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
