36-year-old Chinese actress Jing Tian dated former table tennis player Zhang Jike in 2018, but their relationship lasted only a year before ending. It was then revealed that Zhang Jike was involved in gambling debts, causing a scandal that tarnished his image. On August 8th, topics related to Zhang Jike surged on Weibo, prompting Jing Tian to quietly unfollow him.
In a recent match at the Paris Olympics, the German table tennis team was defeated 0-3 by the Swedish team, halting their journey at the quarter-finals. 43-year-old German veteran Timo Boll concluded his final Olympic journey. Boll has participated in the Olympics seven times, winning a total of four Olympic medals (2 silver, 2 bronze), claiming the World Cup men’s singles title twice, and standing on the podium nine times at the World Table Tennis Championships (6 silver, 3 bronze), with a highest world ranking of number one.
As contemporaneous athletes, Zhang Jike and Timo Boll shared mutual respect. On August 8th, Zhang Jike edited highlights of Boll’s career and wrote: “Rivals on the court, friends off the court!” Some fans commented, “Uncle Zhang, calm down and don’t make hasty decisions anymore! Keep going!” Zhang Jike responded, saying, “Slowly, I will let everyone know the ins and outs of the situation.”
Some fans expressed regret over Zhang Jike’s premature retirement, believing he could still be a key player. Zhang Jike replied, “Haha, when the coach suddenly gets replaced, it’s a huge blow!” Although Zhang Jike’s response seemed somewhat nonsensical, it marked his first interaction with fans since last year’s public controversy and raised curiosity about related behind-the-scenes matters.
Last year, a chief journalist at China’s “Economic Observer” exposed Zhang Jike for owing a large amount of debt and using intimate photos of his ex-girlfriend, actress Jing Tian, as collateral for gambling debts. Zhang Jike’s studio promptly issued a statement refuting the claims, stating that he had no financial disputes and labeling the rumors as fabrications.
However, the journalist later revealed a 5 million RMB promissory note from Zhang Jike, and China’s “top paparazzo,” Zhuowei, confirmed the authenticity of leaked intimate videos involving Jing Tian. The successive scandals severely damaged Zhang Jike’s reputation, leading to multiple brand endorsements being terminated and even his appearances on entertainment shows like “Running Man” being edited out or blurred.
Public records indicate that Zhang Jike was born in Qingdao, Shandong in 1988. He won the World Table Tennis Championships men’s singles title in May 2011, and claimed gold in the men’s singles and men’s team events at the London Olympics in August 2012, completing a Grand Slam of individual titles across the World Championships, World Cup, and Olympics, becoming the third male player in Chinese table tennis history to achieve this feat after Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui. In 2016, Zhang Jike gained massive popularity through his performances at the Rio Olympics, establishing himself as a social media sensation. In 2017, he ranked second on China’s sports wealth list with an income of 60 million yuan.
Jing Tian, who now focuses on her acting career, recently starred in the new drama “The Rebirth of Four Seas.” With topics like “Zhang Jike: I will reveal the truth to everyone” and “Zhang Jike: Coach being replaced is a huge blow” trending on Weibo on August 8th, netizens noticed that Jing Tian had unfollowed Zhang Jike. Previously, Jing Tian was following 347 accounts, but in a screenshot shared by a fan, it was evident that she had been following Zhang Jike. Currently, Jing Tian’s following count stands at 346.