About Fan Zhendong
Fan Zhendong (Chinese: 樊振东; pinyin: Fán Zhèndōng, pronounced [fǎn ʈʂə̂ntʊ́ŋ]; born 22 January 1997) is a Chinese professional table tennis player. He is the reigning Olympic gold medallist in men's singles, with his victory at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris making him the 6th male player (and 11th player overall) to achieve a Grand Slam. He is also a two-time World Champion and four-time World Cup champion in men's singles. Fan Zhendong was the youngest ITTF World Tour Champion, a record that was later surpassed by Tomokazu Harimoto. His attacking style of play involves explosive footwork and powerful loops on both forehand and backhand wings. His thick-set build has led fans and commentators to refer to him as "Little Fatty" (Chinese: 小胖; pinyin: Xiǎo Pàng). Fan is studying at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After joining the Chinese national table tennis team in 2012 as the youngest member, he went on to become the youngest ITTF World Tour Champion and the youngest World Table Tennis Champion. In 2016, he won the ITTF Star Point Award, and he was nominated for the Best Male Star Award every year between 2013 and 2016. In the first stage of the competition, Fan, who was only 16 years old, defeated many famous players and unexpectedly won second place. From December 2013 to December 2024, Fan was ranked top five in the world according to the ITTF -- this eleven year streak is the longest in men's singles history. In 2025, Fan Zhendong won the Big Ben Award.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.