pen holder, favorite weapon of table tennis player Félix Lebrun – Libération

2024-08-05 16:30:00

Each course has its own process, importance, beauty or wonder. Today, the French player’s signature, used more often among Asian players.

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It’s a bit like Félix Lebrun’s signature. The bronze medalist is one of the rare Europeans on the circuit to adopt the so-called “pen grip” racket grip. Note that the 17-year-old French national, who plays his men’s team in the round of 16 on Monday at 8 pm against Slovenia, holds it exactly the same way a person holds a fountain pen: thumb and the index finger that moves like that. like to form a pincer on the forehand side, the other three fingers stacked on the backhand side, with the middle finger stuck against the surface of the racket. It is precisely he who will give effort and strength to the blows.

But the advantage of the handle is the great freedom of the blows it offers. “It’s a very nice grip to play, it offers a lot of different options compared to the orthodox gripexplained Félix Lebrun on the IOC website. The hand is more free, especially when it works, so we can have a lot more in the game.

Not really natural, the gesture saw the light of day in the 1930s in Hungary, thanks to one of the top female table tennis players of the time, Anna Sipos, 21 medals in the world championships, including 11 gold. Enough to intrigue the competition. The technique has been successful abroad in Asia, where more people use it today than anywhere else. The 2008 Olympic champion in Beijing, Ma Lin, defeated her opponents by playing penholder. If young Lebrun cannot imitate him in the singles, there is still hope in the team event.