Fantastic! Taylor Swift-loving paddling prodigy wins the 'End Game' to claim his first Olympic gold

China's table tennis player Fan Zhendong in action during the men's singles final at the Paris Olympics on Sunday. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

Complete, ruthless, aggressive and dominant — no single word quite describes China's Olympic and world champion paddler Fan Zhendong when he unleashes his fierce precision. He simply leaves his opponent, and the world, in awe.

The "baby-faced assassin", as he is known among his adoring fans for his cherubic features and deadly wrist, took the table tennis world by storm on Sunday, as he romped to a 49-minute 4-1 win over Sweden's Truls Moregard in the final of the men's singles to claim first Olympic gold medal of his career. It also means he has completed a prestigious "Grand Slam" by collecting titles at the World Championships, World Cup and, now, the Olympics.

It was eight years in the making, and countless challenges had to be overcome, not just from overseas opponents, but as many, if not more so from his world-class teammates, as he fought for supremacy in, arguably, the most intense "civil war" of any sport's national program. It has forged Fan's already steely will to the point of invincibility.

China's table tennis player Fan Zhendong concentrates during the men's singles final at the Paris Olympics on Sunday. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

Fan's win on Sunday at the South Paris Arena — an almost "home court", packed by red-flag-waving Chinese fans — has redeemed the narrow defeat he suffered at the hands of his legendary teammate Ma Long in the singles final at Tokyo 2020, inspiring Fan to keep pushing to achieve a "double-slam" by 2028, as Ma did in 2021.

"It all came down to the hard work I put in every day. While there are athletes with innate talent, who can win easily anytime, anywhere, I hope to keep sharpening my craft and continue fighting for more glory, together with my team," Fan said at the post-final news conference.

Fan's final encounter with Moregard, who stunned China's world No 1 Wang Chuqin in the opening round, was the latest installment of a decades-long international rivalry between China and Sweden, underlined by the respective team coaches — China's three-time Olympian Wang Hao and Swedish legend Jorgen Persson, who have fought many classic matches against each other throughout their playing careers.

China's Fan Zhendong beats Truls Moregard of Sweden 4-1 to win the table tennis men's singles gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games on Sunday. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

"Each and every team has its own prime era, and the Swedish program was definitely one of our biggest rivals," said 27-year-old Fan, who has bagged a total nine world championships gold medals in singles, doubles and team since his debut in 2014.

"Now with strong and young competitors like Moregard emerging, I believe the rivalry will continue, and we need to push ourselves to stay ahead."

After beating Moregard 4-1 with relative ease, Fan performed for the roaring crowd in Paris, tucking both hands beneath his armpits to emulate French soccer star Kylian Mbappe's signature goal celebration.

A die-hard fan of Spanish La Liga giant Real Madrid, Fan also impersonated former Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, performing the iconic "siu" celebration to celebrate his 4-0 semifinal win against local favorite Felix Lebrun — a fun gesture that has won over fans in Europe.

Fan Zhendong and coach Wang Hao hold China's national flag and wave to spectators after Fan won the table tennis men's singles gold medal on Sunday. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

A super Swiftie

As aggressively competitive as he is at the table, Fan comes across as any average young man, following European soccer as his hobby, and enjoying the latest music trends, especially the catchy songs of pop megastar Taylor Swift.

By posting his appreciation for Swift's music regularly on his social media account Weibo, where he has garnered over 3.2 million followers, Fan has captivated not only table tennis enthusiasts, but also a legion of "Swifties", the American artist's devoted followers.

After Fan outplayed Lebrun to advance to the men's singles final on Friday, social media users began superimposing Fan's face on Taylor Swift posters and stickers to rally support for the table tennis standout.

Fan, a self-proclaimed Swiftie himself, has openly expressed his admiration for the iconic musician.

Fan Zhendong celebrates winning the table tennis men's singles final at the Paris Olympic Games on Sunday. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

"Music is universal. Great musicians like Taylor bring us healing power and confidence," he said.

The intersection of China's pingpong and global pop culture perhaps hit its high note when Fan edged Japan's Harimoto Tomokazu 4-3 in a gruelling, see-sawing quarterfinal battle on Aug 1 — a date loaded with Swiftie superstition due to the star's hit song "August".

However, due to the demands and expectation of his fans, the sharing of his personal life on social media can sometimes end up not being much fun at all.

In March, Fan posted footage from Swift's Singapore leg of her Eras tour on his Weibo account just days before a World Table Tennis event, where he was eventually upset by 18-year-old compatriot Lin Shidong in the round of 32.

Fan Zhendong powers his way to victory in the table tennis men's singles final at the Paris Olympic Games on Sunday. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

Some overzealous fans soon tried to link his defeat to attending the concert and enjoying himself, believing it distracted him from his preparations for the tournament.

His post of the concert was soon flooded by negative comments, criticizing his lack of commitment.

As a major sports celebrity in China, Fan has called on his followers to "be rational and boycott idol culture", after an incident which saw an unidentified fan break into his Beijing hotel room and steal his underwear.

"I am an athlete, cultivated by my country. It's my duty to fight for the country and, for more than 10 years, I've never wavered from this duty," Fan said.

"In my free time, I am just an ordinary young man. I have normal hobbies and I have my social network. I will continue to be true to my heart under the premise of following the law and the rules."

China's Fan Zhendong, Sweden's Truls Moregard, and France's Felix Lebrun, who won gold, silver and bronze medals respectively, stand on the podium with their medals after the table tennis men's singles final at the Paris Olympic Games on Sunday. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]