Jan Ove Waldner
| Place of birth: | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Nationality: | Swedish |
| Birth: | October 3, 1965 |
| Size: | 1,79 m |
| Olympic champion | 1992 |
| World Champion | 1989 and 1997 |
| World cup Champion | 1990 |
| European Champion | 1996 |
The Mozart of table tennis
In international table tennis, Jan Ove Waldner has been recognized as one of the greatest players of all time. In fact, he is known as “the Mozart of table tennis” thanks to his great diversity of compositions on the game table.
In fact, his legendary dominance among table tennis players is unprecedented in the history of this sport. Thus, Waldner is widely recognized as an outstanding table tennis player.
As in other sports, in table tennis there are three main titles (the Grand Slam), namely, the world championship, the world cup and the Olympic games. Jan Ove Waldner is also one of the few players to have won all three and he is the only European.
The beginning
Waldner was born in Stockholm, Sweden on October 3, 1965. He started playing table tennis very early thanks to local tournaments. At age 9, he won the championship in his category, after which at age 12 he began intensive training, and at age 15 he decided to turn professional. Then, at 16, he won his first tournament.
Then, in 1982, at only 17 years old, he took part in the European Championship (Budapest, Hungary) and obtained second place. Indeed, he lost the final of the tournament against his compatriot Mikael Appelgren 4 years older.
Jan Ove Waldner becomes a legend
From 1983, Waldner began to rapidly climb positions both in the rankings of his country and in Europe. Later that same year, he won his first Swedish title, which he would win seven times during his career. He also won first place in the European Top 12 Championship seven times.
By the 1982 Olympics, Waldner had already won a number of tournaments. His Chinese counterparts dubbed him “Guerrilla Foreman” thanks to his growing reputation, his mastery of the table and his punishing service.
His reputation was solidified in 1989 as he won his first world title, which propelled him to the top spot in the world rankings.
The rise to international fame
At the Olympic Games (1992) in Barcelona, Spain, Waldner won first place, in fact, it was the only gold medal that the Chinese did not win in table tennis.
Then, after the 1992 Olympics, he continued to play at a very high level. Finally, he won the European Championship in 1996, and for the second time the men’s world title in 1997.
The end of his career
While Jan Ove Waldner is a player with a very long history, his career has slowed down since the 2000s due to injuries and age.
Waldner therefore left his mark on table tennis. Thus, its mythical reputation will continue to influence and inspire young people who play table tennis.
“I think the first time you win a big tournament is the best feeling there is”
Jan Ove Waldner
Featured image: Jan-Ove Waldner by Kanjitard, Wikimedia Commons
