Jan-Ove Waldner

Jan-Ove Waldner
Jan-Ove Waldner
Personal information
Full nameJan-Ove Waldner
Nickname(s)老瓦 (Lǎo Wǎ, "Old Wa")
NationalitySwedish
Born (1965-10-03) 3 October 1965 (age 59)
Stockholm, Sweden
Table tennis career
Playing styleShakehand grip
Medal record
Men's table tennis
Representing  Sweden
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona Singles
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney Singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1989 Dortmund Singles
Gold medal – first place 1989 Dortmund Team
Gold medal – first place 1991 Chiba Team
Gold medal – first place 1993 Gothenburg Team
Gold medal – first place 1997 Manchester Singles
Gold medal – first place 2000 Kuala Lumpur Team
Silver medal – second place 1983 Tokyo Team
Silver medal – second place 1985 Gothenburg Team
Silver medal – second place 1987 New Delhi Singles
Silver medal – second place 1987 New Delhi Team
Silver medal – second place 1991 Chiba Singles
Silver medal – second place 1995 Tianjin Team
Silver medal – second place 1997 Manchester Doubles
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Gothenburg Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Eindhoven Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Osaka Team
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1990 Chiba City Singles
Gold medal – first place 1990 Chiba City Team
Silver medal – second place 1983 Barbados Singles
Silver medal – second place 1991 Barcelona Team
Silver medal – second place 1994 Nimes Team
Silver medal – second place 1996 Nimes Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Barcelona Singles
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1986 Prague Doubles
Gold medal – first place 1986 Prague Team
Gold medal – first place 1988 Paris Doubles
Gold medal – first place 1988 Paris Team
Gold medal – first place 1990 Gothenburg Team
Gold medal – first place 1992 Stuttgart Team
Gold medal – first place 1996 Bratislava Singles
Gold medal – first place 1996 Bratislava Doubles
Gold medal – first place 1996 Bratislava Team
Gold medal – first place 2000 Bremen Team
Gold medal – first place 2002 Zagreb Team
Silver medal – second place 1982 Budapest Singles
Silver medal – second place 1984 Moscow Doubles
Silver medal – second place 1992 Stuttgart Doubles
Silver medal – second place 1994 Birmingham Singles
Silver medal – second place 1994 Birmingham Team
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Moscow Team
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Paris Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Eindhoven Doubles
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Eindhoven Team
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Bremen Singles

Jan-Ove Waldner[a] (Swedish: [ˈjɑːn uːvɛ ˈvǎldnɛr]; born 3 October 1965),[1][2] in Sweden commonly J-O Waldner (Swedish: [ˈjiː uː]), is a Swedish former professional table tennis player. He is often referred to as "the Mozart of table tennis."[3][4] A sporting legend in his native Sweden as well as in China,[3] he is known in China as 老瓦 Lǎo Wǎ ("Old Wa") or 常青树 Cháng Qīng Shù ("Evergreen Tree"),[5] because of his extraordinary longevity and competitiveness.


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  1. ^ Jan-Ove Waldner profile Archived 2008-10-23 at the Wayback Machine. Swedish Table Tennis Federation
  2. ^ Biography of WALDNER Jan-Ove Archived 2009-02-09 at the Wayback Machine. ITTF.
  3. ^ a b Bishop, G. (August 23, 2008). A Swedish face for China’s beloved sport. The New York Times.
  4. ^ Clarey, C. (August 23, 2004). For 'table tennis Mozart,' few high notes. International Herald Tribune.
  5. ^ Jan-Ove “Evergreen” Waldner – Table Tennis Legend. Game Tables Online