GOAT Index

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Zhuang Zedong: the case for the GOAT

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    Zhuang Zedong: the case for the GOAT

    China · Born 25 August 1940, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China · Died 2013 · Career 1950s–1971

    Chinese penholder with a fast attacking style who won three straight world titles and became famous for his role in 1971's ping-pong diplomacy.

    Career highlights

    Why Zhuang Zedong could be the GOAT

    Zhuang Zedong won three straight world singles titles, establishing China as a table tennis power. His 1971 gesture to American player Glenn Cowan helped start ping-pong diplomacy, a thaw between the US and China. Few athletes have changed history beyond their sport.

    What fans say

    Zhuang Zedong is #14 of 18 in the fan ranking, with a 0–3 head-to-head record from 56 Men's table tennis votes. See the full Men's table tennis GOAT ranking

    Zhuang Zedong head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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    Photo credits

      Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licenses listed. Each links to its source page.