Kong Linghui is considered one of the all-time greats of table tennis and has now taken up the position as Head Coach of China’s National Women’s Team. Kong Linghui is famous for his titles in the men’s doubles competition together with Liu Guoliang.
Kong Linghui, Ma Long, Jan-Ove Waldner, Liu Guoliang, and Zhang Jike are five players who have completed all Grand Slams in their careers.
Kong Linghui Information:
- Native name: 孔令辉
- Nationality: China
- Born: October 18, 1975, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
- Playing-style: Shakehand grip
- Highest Ranking: #1
Kong Linghui playing style
Kong’s style was believed to be modeled on the top European players of the late 1980s through to the late 1990s, namely the Swedes Jan Ove Waldner and Jörgen Persson, who won the World Championships in Dortmund in 1989 and Chiba in 1991 respectively. They utilized the shakehand grip, and played consistent good all-round games characterized by playing close to mid-distance from the table, equal on both backhand and forehand sides, and being strong in both attacks and containing – both players have excellent receive of service techniques and solid blocking games.
In China’s attempt to shake the early 1990s European male dominance of the sport – where players such as Saive (Belgium), Primorac (Croatia), Gatien (France), Waldner, Persson, and Appelgren (Sweden), and Rosskopf (Germany) were dominating proceedings internationally, they sent the young Kong to Sweden in an unprecedented move to learn the European style of play. He arrived back in China in 1993, and within three years, was ranked world no.1 as of December 1995.
Kong Linghui Hightlights
Kong Linghui’s titles
| Year | Games | Event | Medal |
| 1995 | World Table Tennis Championships | Singles, Men | Gold |
| 1995 | Table Tennis World Cup | Singles, Men | Gold |
| 1996 | Summer Olympics | Doubles, Men | Gold |
| 2000 | Summer Olympics | Singles, Men | Gold |
| 2000 | Summer Olympics | Doubles, Men | Gold |
All Partner Liu Guoliang’s in the doubles is Liu Guoliang
Kong Linghui Equipment
Blade: Butterfly Kong Linghui
- Designed in conjunction with and used by Chinese career Grand Slam champion, Kong Linghui
- All-wood 5-ply attacking blade created to execute shots from all positions around the table
- Due to it only being 5.5 mm thick, this offensive blade is very easy to control
- A compact head (154x148) really sets this blade up well for attackers
- Available in the Flared shakehand handle style
Forehand: Butterfly Sriver-FX
- Butterfly's most successful rubber since its introduction in 1967, with softer sponge
- Over the years, more than 20 World & 70 European titles have been won with the Sriver series of rubber
- A hard and tacky surface and medium soft and flexible sponge makes it the best choice for all-round attackers
- Pairs well with Kong Linghui, Boll Forte, SK Carbon, Balsa Carbo X5, Hadraw SK, and other Butterfly blades
- Butterfly Free Chack table tennis glue recommended when assembling Butterfly table tennis rubbers on your blade
Backhand: Butterfly Bryce High Speed
- Powered by High Tension and featuring Butterfly's Micro Layer rubber sheet technology
- Butterfly's fastest rubber sheet in production, capable of unmatched speed with a low trajectory
- The Micro Layer rubber sheet is thinner, creating a rubber surface that grips the ball more than ever before
- Softer than Tenergy and more speed and spin than Bryce Speed, this rubber is great for attackers
- Pairs well with the Innerforce Series of Butterfly blades, as well as the Timo Boll and Zhang Jike series
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