Chinese table tennis players may seem invincible, but how well can their head coach play?

With China's 3:1 victory over the Japanese men's table tennis team on Aug. 17 in Rio, China has once again swept the Olympic table tennis golds. Chinese players have won 28 of the 32 Olympic gold medals given out since the sport's inclusion in the games in 1988.

China's formidable dominance in the sport has led Cai Zhenhua, vice director of China's General Administration of Sports, to claim proudly that, “if nothing vital goes wrong, there will be no question of China continuing to be the leader of the sport for the next ten years, based on our time-tested training system and a reservoir of potential athletes.”

Another result of the Chinese players’ unmatched performances is that their head national coach, Liu Guoliang, has been brought into spotlight. Of course, Liu wasn't always a coach. In 1996, Liu claimed two Olympic gold medals; in 1999, he became the first Chinese table tennis player to achieve a grand slam. Considered one of China’s greatest table tennis players of all time, he was once a true household name.

However, after retiring in 2003 and eventually being appointed coach of the Chinese men’s team, he more or less faded from public sight. Some young people in China nowadays don’t even know his name, with one young netizen reportedly asking online whether "the fat man" (Liu) talking to the Chinese players during a match was a government official.

Despite being largely out of the spotlight for the past decade, Liu is still a talented athlete. Recently, a Chinese television show invited Liu to show off his table tennis skills on air. On the show he played against retired table tennis star Wang Tao, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist for men's table tennis singles and doubles. Wang currently coaches the Bayi Club in the China Table Tennis Super League.

Liu Guoliang (L)and Wang Tao (R) played on a moving table, with the two halves of the table moving farther and farther back until finally the two players were more than 8 meters apart. They nevertheless achieved continuous volleys without letting the ball fall. Photo shows a screen grab from the program on iqiyi.com.

Liu extinguished the flame of a candle with a precise hit of the ball. Photo shows a screen grab from the program on iqiyi.com.

Liu was also challenged to play with a paddle that had a hole in the middle. Liu missed several swings in the beginning, but quickly adjusted his technique. Photo shows a screen grab from the program on iqiyi.com.

Using a tiny paddle hardly larger than a ping pong ball, Liu finished seven volleys against a TV presenter playing with a regular pad. Photo shows a screen grab from the program on iqiyi.com.

Liu broke an egg with a precise hit of the ball. Photo shows a screen grab from the program on iqiyi.com.

Liu and Wang played on a super small, low table. Photo shows a screen grab from the program on iqiyi.com.

Wang hit off of blocks on a revolving table. Photo shows a screen grab from the program on iqiyi.com.