While Paris waits for LeBron, Lebrun drives crowds into a frenzy in table tennis
Felix Lebrun, prodigy in table tennis for France (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
While Paris waits for LeBron, Parisians have enjoyed with Lebrun. The USA men’s basketball team has played every game in Lille, but table tennis has attracted multitudes and a fun ambiance, and that’s partly because of Felix Lebrun, a 17-year-old born in Montpellier who has dragged a crazy atmosphere at Paris South Arena 4, making it a sold-out even in the early stages.
“Fe-lix, Fe-lix, Fe-lix!!!,” the crowd would sing. The blond with the glasses started the Olympics with a confident 4-0 victory against India’s Harmeet Desai, followed up by successive victories against Sweden’s Anton Kallberg (4-2), Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov (4-3) and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yj (4-3). And even if he couldn’t beat China’s Fan Z in the semi-finals, his run transformed into one of the ones to watch.
FAMILY TIES His surname definitely rings a bell: his father, his uncle and his older brother are all elite table tennis players. While father Stephane was ranked 10th nationally, his uncle Christophe Legout represented France in three Olympic Games (1996, 2000 and 2008). His older brother, Alexis, was also part of Paris, but was eliminated in the Round of 16.
PRODIGY He is the third-youngest player that managed to enter the world’s top 10 at the age of 17, after winning his first WTT tournament in Turkey, last year. With a strong connection with table tennis that started at the age of 3, Felix still claims that his hero is a German: Timo Boll, four-time Olympic team medallist, and nine.time world championship medallist.
CHINESE GRIP Lebrun is one of the few Europeans that use a penholder playing style, very normal in China. “I discovered it while watching Chinese table tennis player Chen Jian, who had come to train to Montpellier. The racket is held like a pen. The wrist is free and this allows me to take my opponent by surprise more easily,” he said.
REVENGE Lebrun will now play for the bronze medal on Sunday against Brazilian Hugo Calderano, an additional topping for the rivalry, since it was Calderano the one who knocked out his brother Alexis on July 31. But Felix knows it’s not impossible, as he’s beaten him in the Star Contender Goa 2024 final.
The stadium, once again, will be a boiling pot.
“Fe-lix, Fe-lix, Fe-lix!!!,” the crowd would sing. The blond with the glasses started the Olympics with a confident 4-0 victory against India’s Harmeet Desai, followed up by successive victories against Sweden’s Anton Kallberg (4-2), Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov (4-3) and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yj (4-3). And even if he couldn’t beat China’s Fan Z in the semi-finals, his run transformed into one of the ones to watch.
FAMILY TIES His surname definitely rings a bell: his father, his uncle and his older brother are all elite table tennis players. While father Stephane was ranked 10th nationally, his uncle Christophe Legout represented France in three Olympic Games (1996, 2000 and 2008). His older brother, Alexis, was also part of Paris, but was eliminated in the Round of 16.
PRODIGY He is the third-youngest player that managed to enter the world’s top 10 at the age of 17, after winning his first WTT tournament in Turkey, last year. With a strong connection with table tennis that started at the age of 3, Felix still claims that his hero is a German: Timo Boll, four-time Olympic team medallist, and nine.time world championship medallist.
CHINESE GRIP Lebrun is one of the few Europeans that use a penholder playing style, very normal in China. “I discovered it while watching Chinese table tennis player Chen Jian, who had come to train to Montpellier. The racket is held like a pen. The wrist is free and this allows me to take my opponent by surprise more easily,” he said.
REVENGE Lebrun will now play for the bronze medal on Sunday against Brazilian Hugo Calderano, an additional topping for the rivalry, since it was Calderano the one who knocked out his brother Alexis on July 31. But Felix knows it’s not impossible, as he’s beaten him in the Star Contender Goa 2024 final.
The stadium, once again, will be a boiling pot.
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