Source: CCTV.com

03-29-2008 14:43

We’ll start by meeting one of the most famous players in Chinese table-tennis – Wang Tao; then we’ll get the inside story of Ma’s Army – the group of highly successful Chinese women middle and long-distance runners; after that we’ll have the unusual story of the great efforts being made by one athlete to find someone to break his own national record; and finally, a South Korean coach brings unprecedented success for China’s national hockey team. 

Wang Tao was born in Beijing in 1967. He started playing table-tennis when he was just three – taught by his father. In 1988, he was invited to join the national team. A fine individual player, he achieved his greatest successes in doubles and team events.

Back in 1993, at an athletics meeting held in Beijing, a Chinese middle distance runner set a new world record for the 1500 metres. The athlete was Qu Yunxia, and her time, of three minutes 50.46 seconds, still stands as the fastest ever run over the distance by a woman.