At the 2024 Paris Olympics, 17-year-old French prodigy Félix Lebrun captured the bronze medal in men's singles table tennis, becoming the youngest Olympic singles medalist in table tennis history.
Together with his elder brother Alexis Lebrun, Félix went on to claim another bronze in the men's team event. After last year's WTT Finals in Fukuoka, the brothers had even risen to world No. 1 in men's doubles.
Raised in table tennis household: 'Sport comes naturally'
The Lebrun brothers grew up in a household steeped in table tennis. Their father was once a French doubles champion, and their uncle had competed in the Olympics three times. "Growing up surrounded by table tennis paddles, it felt only natural that I'd pick up the sport myself," Alexis recalls.
As brothers who grew up together, they trained side by side, kept driving each other forward, and were always trying to outshine each other. This healthy rivalry sharpened their skills and drove them to greater heights.
As their careers moved forward, matches against one another became inevitable. Asked whether they comfort each other after a defeat, both answered in unison, "No."
Félix explained, "We give the losing side a moment to themselves. But afterward, we laugh together. One of us has won, and that's enough for the whole family to celebrate—it's our family's pride."
Distinctive styles in table tennis
In recent years, European table tennis has made remarkable strides, bringing forth a growing number of world-class players. France alone now boasts six players in the world's top 50 and ten in the top 100. "With players like Truls Möregårdh and me reaching the Olympic podium, it proves that victories are within our grasp too," Félix said.
Vincent Avril, coach of Alliance Nîmes-Montpellier's table tennis team, observed that China's technical mastery remains unmatched, coupled with outstanding consistency. He further explained that Chinese players start intensive training at a very young age. By contrast, European children often begin playing out of pure interest, only later entering structured programs. European teams now borrow from Chinese methods to strengthen technical uniformity.
Still, Europe's later start has bred creativity. European players often develop unconventional styles, favoring aggressive rallies and sudden, decisive shots, unlike the steady rhythm preferred by Chinese players.
"If we want to beat Chinese players, we must leverage our strengths rather than imitate them," Alexis remarked.
On Fan Zhendong joining the Bundesliga: 'All of Europe wants to see him play'
As the Lebrun brothers and other Europeans achieve breakthroughs, public enthusiasm for table tennis has grown. According to data provided by the French Table Tennis Federation, the number of its registered members has risen from 200,000 to 260,000 in just a few years.
This summer, Chinese Olympic table tennis champion Fan Zhendong joined Bundesliga, which draws immense attention. "Every European wants to see him play," Vincent said, considering it extraordinary to have an Olympic champion in the league. He commented that arenas would be packed for a long time to come.
Félix added that training alongside such a player would be invaluable. It's a chance to see how the best in the world prepare. It will be a very cool experience.
Last season, the Alliance Nîmes-Montpellier table tennis team, featuring the Lebrun brothers, captured the French team championship. Looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where men's and women's doubles will return to the program, Félix declared, "We'll train hard, perform as best we can, and of course, our dream is to win a medal."
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