Against all odds, 35-year-old table tennis icon Ma Long and artistic swimming team captain Feng Yu were named the flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, during an on-line press conference from Chinese sports delegation here on Wednesday.

It was the first time that the flag bearers were chosen outside of traditional favorite sports such as basketball, volleyball, fencing, and taekwondo at the past Olympics.

Ma, who is gearing up for his fourth Olympic appearance in Paris, will compete in the men’s team event and set a new Olympic record if he wins a sixth gold in Paris.

“It is not my personal pride, but the glory of our table tennis team through generations. Table tennis is not just a sport, but also a kind of story and a song of long-time dedication,” said “Captain Long”.

“Taking over the relay baton from our predecessors, I would like to carry on the glory of the Chinese table tennis team and carry forward the Olympic spirit as well as the Chinese table tennis and sports spirit to Paris.”

Feng, 24, has claimed eight team titles from the World Aquatics Championships since 2017 in Budapest and one silver medal from the team event at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“Our sport is a combination of beauty and strength, speed and power. It is my greatest honor as an artistic swimmer to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. We were used to watching the opening ceremony from the live broadcast on TV because our competition always starts at the later part of the Games,” said Feng, who tried gymnastics, table tennis, and Wushu before she finally started her artistic swimming career when she was young.

As the captain of the national team, Feng tried hard in training and performed as the role model of the team.

“I was excited together with my teammates that we could have the chance to attend and enjoy the opening ceremony right away. We were also encouraged and vowed to achieve our best in the pool,” Feng said, adding that she will attend a team event at the Paris Olympic Games.

“Every athlete has an Olympic champion dream, and we hope we can make our dreams come true in Paris. Hopefully, we can attract more young talents to join us in the future,” Feng said.