Basic Information

• Name: Lin Yun-Ju (林昀儒)
• Date of Birth: August 17, 2001
• Birthplace: Yilan County, Taiwan Province, China
• Nationality: Chinese Taipei
• Playing Hand: Left-handed shakehand grip
• Playing Style: Left-handed shakehand with two-sided inverted rubber; comprehensive technique, calm mentality, nicknamed “Silent Assassin”
• Team: Chinese Taipei Team, Shandong Weiqiao Table Tennis Club
• Education: Department of Physical Education, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan
• World Ranking: No. 6 (as of September 2026)
• Highest Ranking: No. 5 (December 2019)

Early Life

Family Background

Lin Yun-Ju comes from an educational family—his father is a university professor and his mother is a middle school principal. Starting in 2014, his parents personally hired coaches from the former Shandong Luneng Table Tennis Club each month to train him.

Childhood Introduction

• 2009 (Age 8): Started playing table tennis, quickly standing out with his talent
• Elementary School Grade 5: Won five consecutive singles championships across all Taiwan tournaments
• 2012 (Age 11): Won the East Asian Youth Games men’s singles title, launching his professional career
• 2014: Won men’s singles, men’s doubles, and men’s team titles at the Thailand Youth Table Tennis Open; won bronze in men’s singles at the Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships
• June 28, 2015: Finished as runner-up in the U15 men’s singles final at the China Youth Table Tennis Open & ITTF Golden Series Junior Circuit (Taicang Station), losing 1-3 to Peng Feilong; selected for the 2016 Kuala Lumpur World Championships roster through the Chinese Taipei selection tournament

Career Journey

Emerging Talent (2017-2018)

• August 2017: Reached the quarterfinals in the Czech Open men’s singles; on August 23, finished as runner-up in the U21 men’s singles final, losing 2-3 to French player Can Akouzu; in October, finished as runner-up in the All-Taiwan Games men’s singles final, losing 2-4 to Chuang Chih-yuan; on November 24, won the Chinese Taipei Annual Table Tennis Championships men’s singles title, defeating Chiang Hung-chieh 4-0
• January 18, 2018: Won the Hungarian Open U21 men’s singles title, defeating Hungarian player Majaros 3-0
• June 2018: Rose to world No. 65 and defeated Chinese world champion Fang Bo 4-1 in the China Open men’s singles qualifiers
• August 28, 2018: In the Jakarta Asian Games men’s team semifinal, represented Chinese Taipei in the third singles match, defeating Wang Chuqin 3-1 to secure one point for the team, but ultimately lost 1-3 to China, finishing third
• October 2018: Lost 3-4 to Japanese player Tomokazu Harimoto in the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics men’s singles semifinal
• November 3, 2018: Lost 1-4 to German player Dimitrij Ovtcharov in the Swedish Open men’s singles, failing to reach the quarterfinals

Breakout Year (2019)

2019 was Lin’s breakout year, winning multiple open tournaments and World Cup medals, rising from a newcomer to a world-class player:

• March 24, 2019: Won men’s doubles with Liao Chen-ting and mixed doubles with Cheng I-ching at the Oman Challenge, also winning the men’s singles title
• June 1, 2019: Won the China Open mixed doubles title with Cheng I-ching, defeating Wong Chun Ting/Doo Hoi Kem 3-1
• June 8, 2019: Won the Hong Kong Open mixed doubles title with Cheng I-ching, defeating Lee Sang-su/Choi Hyo-joo 3-0
• June 16, 2019: Finished as runner-up in the Japan Open men’s singles, losing 1-4 to Xu Xin
• July 21, 2019: Won the T2 Diamond Malaysia men’s singles title, defeating Fan Zhendong 4-1
• August 25, 2019: Won the Czech Open men’s singles title, defeating Ovtcharov 4-1, his first open tournament singles championship
• November 13, 2019: Nominated for ITTF 2019 Male Player of the Year; on November 16, nominated for ITTF Breakthrough Star of the Year
• November 24, 2019: Finished as runner-up in the T2 Diamond Singapore men’s singles, losing 0-4 to Xu Xin
• December 1, 2019: Won bronze in the Men’s World Cup, defeating Ma Long 4-3 in the third-place match, becoming the first Chinese Taipei player to win a World Cup men’s singles medal, setting a new record for Chinese Taipei and establishing himself among the world’s elite; on December 15, finished as runner-up in the ITTF World Tour Finals men’s doubles
• January 2, 2020: ITTF released the January 2020 world rankings, with Lin rising to world No. 6, setting a new career-high ranking

Olympic Glory (2020-2021)

• March 2020: Qualified with Cheng I-ching to represent Chinese Taipei in the mixed doubles event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
• November 20, 2020: Lost 2-4 to Xu Xin in the ITTF Finals men’s singles quarterfinals, eliminated in the top 8
• December 2020: Joined Shandong Weiqiao Table Tennis Club; that same month, finished as runners-up in the Chinese Super League with Shandong Weiqiao, losing 1-3 to Shandong Luneng
• March 6, 2021: Won the WTT Contender Doha mixed doubles title with Cheng I-ching, defeating Lebrun/Yuan Jianan 3-2; on the same day, finished as runner-up in the men’s singles final, losing 1-4 to Ovtcharov
• March 13, 2021: Won the WTT Middle East Star Contender Doha mixed doubles title with Cheng I-ching, defeating Lee Sang-su/Jeon Ji-hee 3-1
• July 26, 2021: Won bronze in the Tokyo Olympics mixed doubles with Cheng I-ching, defeating Lebesson/Yuan Jia Nan 4-0, achieving Chinese Taipei’s best-ever Olympic mixed doubles result and securing the team’s first-ever Olympic table tennis medal, making history
• July 30, 2021: Finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics men’s singles bronze medal match, losing 3-4 to Ovtcharov
• August 3, 2021: In the Tokyo Olympics men’s team quarterfinals, won the second singles match against Ovtcharov 3-2 and the fourth singles match against Franziska 3-0, but Chinese Taipei lost 2-3 to Germany overall, failing to reach the semifinals
• November 2021: Lost 1-3 to Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha in the World Championships mixed doubles semifinal with Cheng I-ching, eliminated in the top 4

Steady Progress (2022-2023)

• March 16, 2022: Finished as runner-up in the WTT Singapore Smash mixed doubles with Cheng I-ching, losing 0-3 to Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha
• March 24, 2022: Won the WTT Contender Doha mixed doubles title with Cheng I-ching, defeating Nanasekaran/Batra 3-0
• March 30, 2022: Finished as runner-up in the WTT Star Contender Doha men’s doubles with Liao Chen-ting, losing 2-3 to German pair Qiu Dang/Duda
• March 31, 2022: Finished as runner-up in the WTT Star Contender Doha mixed doubles with Cheng I-ching, losing 0-3 to French pair Yuan Jianan/Lebesson
• May 10, 2022: ITTF released the 19th week rankings, with Lin/Cheng ranked first in mixed doubles
• June 20, 2022: Won the WTT Contender Zagreb men’s singles title, defeating Xiang Peng 4-0
• July 12, 2022: ITTF released the 28th week rankings, with Cheng/Lin ranked first in mixed doubles
• July 16, 2022: Lost 0-3 to Wang Chuqin in the WTT Star Contender Budapest men’s singles quarterfinals
• July 2022: Lost 2-3 to Lin Gaoyuan in the first round of the WTT Champions Budapest
• September 17, 2022: Won the WTT Contender Almaty mixed doubles title with Chen Si-yu, defeating Wu Yangchen/Xu Haidong 3-2; finished as runner-up in the men’s singles final, losing 3-4 to Faleus; won the men’s doubles title with Liao Chen-ting, defeating Swedish pair Källberg/Falck 3-2
• October 20, 2022: Defeated Timo Boll 3-2 in the first round of the WTT Champions Macau men’s singles
• October 21, 2022: Defeated Croatian Pucar 3-2 in the WTT Champions Macau
• October 22, 2022: Lost 2-4 to Fan Zhendong in the WTT Champions Macau men’s singles semifinal
• October 28, 2022: Lost 2-3 to Ma Long in the WTT World Cup Finals men’s singles quarterfinals in Xinxiang, failing to reach the semifinals
• November 17, 2022: Lost 2-4 to Wong Chun Ting in the first round of the Asian Cup men’s singles
• June 2023: Won the WTT Contender Tunis mixed doubles title
• September-October 2023: Won bronze in the men’s team event at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games, and bronze in men’s doubles with Chuang Chih-yuan
• October 2023: Won the WTT Contender Muscat mixed doubles title
• November 2023: Won the WTT Frankfurt Champions men’s singles title, consecutively defeating Tomokazu Harimoto, Wang Chuqin, and Ma Long, earning the nickname “Giant Killer”

Continued Breakthroughs (2024-2026)

• May 25, 2025: Finished as runner-up in the Doha World Championships men’s doubles with Kao Cheng-jui
• October 26, 2025: Won the WTT Star Contender London mixed doubles title with Cheng I-ching
• December 28, 2025: Won the Chinese Super League men’s team title with Shandong Weiqiao, defeating Huangshi Huaxin 3-0
• January 12, 2026: Won the WTT Doha Champions men’s singles title, returning to the top after 798 days
• April 2026: Won bronze in the ITTF World Cup men’s singles
• May 2026: Led the team to defeat Sweden and win bronze in the London World Championships men’s team event, remaining undefeated throughout. In the quarterfinals, he played twice, shutting out Möregårdh and Källberg 3-0 each, securing two points to help the team advance unexpectedly
• September 2026: Lost 2-3 to Wang Chuqin in five sets in the Nagoya Asian Games men’s team semifinal. The set scores were 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, with each set decided by two points or less

Technical Characteristics

“Silent Assassin”

Lin Yun-Ju is known as the “Silent Assassin,” calm like a machine on court but warm and humble off court, creating a striking contrast. He is a precision control player, with a backhand flick scoring rate of 68% and a first-three-stroke scoring rate near 80%, with no obvious technical weaknesses.

Left-Handed Advantage

As a left-handed shakehand player with two-sided inverted rubber, Lin’s backhand technique and first-three-stroke transitions are at the world’s top level. His fast and flexible ball arcs and variations make it difficult for opponents to adapt, especially giving him a natural advantage against right-handed players.

Crucial Point Ability

The ITTF official account evaluates him as “the most stable new-generation player in world table tennis, with top-level ability on crucial points.” He dares to take initiative at critical moments, has excellent mental fortitude, and can remain calm under high pressure.

Chinese Super League Experience

Lin Yun-Ju is a Taiwanese star in the Chinese Super League, transitioning from “Silent Assassin” to “Cross-Strait Teammate”:

• December 2020: First joined Shandong Weiqiao Table Tennis Club
• 2023: Officially joined the Chinese Super League for the first time, representing Shandong Weiqiao
• 2023-2025 (three seasons): Achieved an 83% singles win rate in the Super League, second only to Wang Chuqin during the same period, ranking first among all foreign players
• 2025: Helped Shandong Weiqiao · Xiangshang Sports team win the men’s team championship alongside teammates Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun
• October 2025: Defeated Liang Jingkun 4-2 in the WTT Champions China Station final, winning his first WTT top-tier tour men’s singles gold medal. After the match, he said: “This gold medal is the result of my years of training in mainland China and continuous matches against top players—it was not easy”

Lin maintains good relationships with many famous mainland Chinese table tennis players. He is good friends with Fan Zhendong, even going to concerts together in Singapore, and his master’s thesis topic relates to Fan’s playing style. During the Super League, he has always been cared for by teammate Wang Chuqin whether traveling or being interviewed.

Personal Life

Personality Traits

Lin, who never liked to cry since childhood, habitually smiles when facing media or fans off court. Years of table tennis career have made him indifferent to wins and losses. In interviews years ago, he stated that “winning and losing are both normal,” and admits he likes to use “train hard” to forget the pain of defeats.

Compared to his dominant performances on court, Lin’s off-court interview videos have attracted even more attention from netizens. Habitually standing on the far right of the three-person interview team, he was asked by teammates Wang Chuqin and Zhou Qihao to stand in the center position during a post-match interview on June 10. Taking off his jacket and wearing a red short-sleeve sports shirt, Lin remained reserved when facing media interviews. When pausing to think, he habitually looked toward Wang Chuqin beside him. After smilingly answering four consecutive questions from one media outlet, Wang Chuqin’s remark “He tried his best” to ease the situation instantly relieved the slightly nervous Lin, who nodded with a smile.

During a post-match interview on June 11, when asked to describe teammates Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun each with one word, Lin looked at both of them, thought for a moment, and said “6, very 6,” a humorous response that also made Wang Chuqin laugh.

Social Media Popularity

As of May 2026, Lin Yun-Ju-related topics on Douyin Select APP have accumulated over 780 million views, 140 million likes, and 23 million saves; mention rate reached 75%, recommendation rate 68%, user approval rating 4.7/5, with fans aged 18-35 accounting for over 65%.

Major Honors

Olympic Games

• 2020 Tokyo Olympics Mixed Doubles Bronze Medalist (with Cheng I-ching)
• 2020 Tokyo Olympics Men’s Singles 4th Place

World Championships

• 2026 London World Championships Men’s Team Bronze Medalist
• 2025 Doha World Championships Men’s Doubles Runner-up (with Kao Cheng-jui)

World Cup

• 2019 Men’s World Cup Bronze Medalist
• 2026 ITTF World Cup Men’s Singles Bronze Medalist

WTT Events

• 2026 WTT Doha Champions Men’s Singles Champion
• 2025 WTT Champions China Station Men’s Singles Champion
• 2023 WTT Frankfurt Champions Men’s Singles Champion
• 2025 WTT Star Contender London Mixed Doubles Champion (with Cheng I-ching)
• 2023 WTT Contender Tunis Mixed Doubles Champion
• 2023 WTT Contender Muscat Mixed Doubles Champion
• 2022 WTT Contender Zagreb Men’s Singles Champion
• 2022 WTT Contender Doha Mixed Doubles Champion (with Cheng I-ching)
• 2022 WTT Contender Almaty Mixed Doubles Champion (with Chen Si-yu), Men’s Doubles Champion (with Liao Chen-ting)
• 2021 WTT Contender Doha Mixed Doubles Champion (with Cheng I-ching), Men’s Singles Runner-up
• 2021 WTT Middle East Star Contender Doha Mixed Doubles Champion (with Cheng I-ching)
• 2019 T2 Diamond Malaysia Men’s Singles Champion
• 2019 Czech Open Men’s Singles Champion
• 2019 China Open Mixed Doubles Champion (with Cheng I-ching)
• 2019 Hong Kong Open Mixed Doubles Champion (with Cheng I-ching)
• 2019 Japan Open Men’s Singles Runner-up
• 2019 T2 Diamond Singapore Men’s Singles Runner-up
• 2019 ITTF World Tour Finals Men’s Doubles Runner-up

Continental Events

• 2023 Hangzhou 19th Asian Games Men’s Team Bronze Medalist, Men’s Doubles Bronze Medalist (with Chuang Chih-yuan)
• 2018 Jakarta Asian Games Men’s Team Bronze Medalist

Domestic Events

• 2025, 2020 Chinese Super League Men’s Team Champion/Runner-up (Shandong Weiqiao)
• 2017 Chinese Taipei Annual Table Tennis Championships Men’s Singles Champion

Youth Events

• 2018 Hungarian Open U21 Men’s Singles Champion
• 2017 Czech Open U21 Men’s Singles Runner-up
• 2014 Thailand Youth Table Tennis Open Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Men’s Team Champion
• 2014 Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships Men’s Singles Bronze Medalist
• 2012 East Asian Youth Games Men’s Singles Champion

Social Evaluation

• ITTF Official Account: The most stable new-generation player in world table tennis, with top-level ability on crucial points
• Industry Evaluation: Precision control flow, backhand flick scoring rate 68%, first-three-stroke scoring rate near 80%, no obvious technical weaknesses
• Fan Evaluation: Calm like a machine on court, warm and humble off court, charming contrast attracts countless fans
• Media Nicknames: “Giant Killer”, “Silent Assassin”

Personal Traits

Lin Yun-Ju is the strongest Chinese Taipei table tennis player in the past 20 years and a core figure of the new generation in world table tennis. He carried the team on his shoulders, demonstrating exceptional leadership and mental strength. At age 25, he has already collected an Olympic bronze medal, World Cup bronze medal, and WTT gold medal. Currently ranked sixth in men’s singles worldwide, he is the highest-ranked male table tennis player outside of China and Japan.

His career win rate against top-10 ranked players is 42% (statistical period 2019-2026), ranking first among male players born after 2000. From losing 1-4 to Ma Long in their first encounter in 2019 to defeating Ma Long 3-2 at the 2025 WTT Xinxiang Champions, the reversal of results against the same opponent over six years is not coincidental—it is the result of long-term honing in the highest-level competitive environment.

In just a few short years, Lin Yun-Ju grew from a shy teenager into a world-class player, proving that you don’t need to be someone else’s shadow—you just need to be the best version of yourself. His story tells us that true champions are not those who never fail, but those who rise again after failure and continue moving forward.