Mo Zhang
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-2 Born in China but with a new home in Canada, Mo Zhang is an inspiration to everyone all over the world. This remarkable table tennis player has steadily won her place at major tournaments and championships and has traveled to the Olympics on more than one occasion. Zhang’s accomplishments have mostly been focused on singles play but she has also shared the spotlight with fellow team members. With a traditional but fierce shakehand style, Mo Zhang has proven again and again how determined she is to win. Keep reading to find out more about this table tennis star and what makes her stand out from the rest.
Quick Facts
Biography
Mo Zhang was born in Shijiazhuang, China, on January 17, 1989. Zhang trained hard in her youth and took advantage of the country’s respect and admiration for the sport of table tennis. In fact, table tennis is so popular in China that a reported 10 million people play the sport competitively, and over 300 million people in China play it recreationally. There are vast training organizations that help give youth the opportunities to hone their skills and train with esteemed coaches.
According to Zhang, she got into table tennis at the age of six as a way to stay fit and keep active. Similar to how most Canadians play soccer or baseball, Zhang then discovered she had an aptitude and a passion for the sport, which has brought her a successful career.
In 2003, Mo Zhang moved to Canada with her family and now lives in Richmond, British Columbia, a city south of Vancouver. Since then, she has represented Canada on the world stage, including the Olympics.
A fun fact about Mo Zhang is that she is a little superstitious. When playing, she will try to wear lucky shirts that she has won in previous games. This is not uncommon for athletes, and there are many well-known athletes that carry on with sometimes odd superstitions.
If you are interested in playing like Zhang, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. While equipment is key, one often overlooked aspect is the right shoes. We suggest looking at our review of the best table tennis shoes. These will allow you to pivot quickly so you don’t trip as you race to volley your opponent’s shot, hopefully to finish the game. Table tennis shoes will give you that immediate advantage over a player and will help you feel like a professional athlete!
Career
Mo Zhang has found considerable success as a female tennis table player. While her main event is singles games, she has also played some doubles games and when this happened, she performed quite well. So far, Zhang has represented Canada at four Olympics.
Olympics
Mo Zhang has been to the Olympics four times and each time has steadily improved on past performances.
In 2008, at the Beijing Olympics, Zhang competed in the Women's Singles event and placed 49th. Then, in 2012 at the London Olympics, she went further and placed 33rd. Her next appearance, at Rio in 2016 also gave her a 33rd-place finish.
However, when Zhang went to the 2022 Tokyo Olympics, she competed in both Women's Singles and Mixed Doubles. For both these events, she was able to place ninth.
Seeing those numbers improve each year means great things are expected if she is able to reach the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Notable Achievements
There have been many outstanding tournaments in Mo Zhang’s career history. For the most part, she has stuck to playing in North American tournaments, which makes sense, given where she lives.
For the North American Table Tournament Championships, Zhang has had a string of wins. She placed second in her first three years at the tournament, including 2006 in Rochester, New York, 2007 in Laval, Quebec, and 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Then, Zhang’s playing really improved and she won a series of gold medals at the North American Table Tennis Championships. In 2006, in Rochester, New York, she won gold in the Women’s Doubles, followed by gold in Laval, Quebec in 2009, Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2010, and Mississauga, Ontario in 2011, all in Women’s Singles. Finally, in 2013, Zhang won silver in Vancouver, British Columbia.
As for the North American up, Zhang placed second in 2011 and 2012, both held in Mississauga, Ontario, followed by gold in 2014, in Burnaby, British Columbia, and in 2015, in Markham, Ontario.
As for the Pan American Games, Zhang won silver in 2007 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Women’s Team, gold in 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico for Women’s Singles, and then bronze in 2015 in Toronto, Ontario for the Women’s Team.
Playing Style
There are two main styles of racket grips in the world of table tennis.
- The Penhold grip is waning in popularity but there is still some benefit to learning it. With it, you need to have a very strong backhand to compensate for some of its weaknesses.
- The other style is the Shakehand grip, which is used by most North American players and the majority of Asian players.
The Shakehand grip is what Mo Zhang uses.
With this grip, you would hold the racket similar to a tennis racket and angle your index finger so that it is perpendicular to the handle. You have more control over the ball and can easily maneuver between forehand and backhand shots.
Ranking
She hit her peak in 2018 when Zhang was ranked in the low twenties. While her ranking has fallen a bit in recent years, she is by no means out of the competition. A few spotlight performances at upcoming tournaments will have her increase her ranking in no time.
Social Media
Mo Zhang has a small social media presence and really, despite being an Olympian, is fairly modest about herself. With just under 1000 followers on her @momodream0717, Zhang shares pictures and updates from all facets of her life.
This includes not just updates on her table tennis career but pictures of places she has visited and rather adorable pictures of her cat. There are also quite a few pictures Zhang has shared of food she has eaten, both at home in Canada and around the world.
Mo Zhang Equipment
Videos
Final Thoughts
With four Olympic appearances, Mo Zhang is truly an aspirational table tennis athlete. Born in China, Zhang moved to Canada when she was just fourteen, which allowed her to get her footing in the competitive world of table tennis in China and then have a more open field in Canada. She has shown tremendous dedication to the sport and has fought hard to keep her ranking so high. While Mo Zhang usually plays in singles games, she has also competed in doubles games, which shows her versatility. There is sure to be more to see with Mo Zhang.