Ping-pong Team Enters
100-gold Club |
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China once again proved its status as a giant of the
table tennis world on Friday at the 48th World Table Tennis Championships. Victories at this year's championships have now
taken Chinese table tennis past the symbolic 100-gold-medals tally. In the last two matches of the Shanghai
championship, World No.1 Wang Liqin secured his second world title by beating
teammate Ma Lin 4-2 in the men's singles, and Wang Nan and Zhang Yining
stretched their domination with a second consecutive women's doubles victory.
Compatriots Guo Yue and Niu Jianfeng picked up silver. Chinese players have swept all five titles at the
tournament, making China the first country to reach the 100-gold medal mark. "This is a milestone in China's table tennis
history," said Cai Zhenhua, director of the Administrative Center of
Table Tennis and Badminton. "It is due to the hard work of several
generations of players and coaches over the past years." At the Athens Olympics last year, women's paddler Zhang
made history when she won China's 100th summer Olympics gold medal by
clinching the title in the women's singles. Before the Shanghai competition, China had won a
total of 95.5 golds (one women's doubles title was won by a Chinese player
paired with a Korean partner) since the First World Championships in London
in 1926. Only by pocketing all five titles could China
rewrite table tennis history. Now the record extends to 100.5, a considerable
distance ahead of the next most successful country Hungary, who boasts a
total of 68 gold medals. "I am very excited to win the 100th gold medal
for China," said Wang Liqin. "But we still have a lot to
improve." "We are very happy to see another clean sweep
on home soil," said Cai. "This is just a beginning. I have seen a
lot European players such as Timo Boll of Germany and Danish Michael Maze are
maturing. They have launched a greater challenge to us this time in
Shanghai." It is the fourth time in the championship's
52-year-history that China has swept all the titles. The previous three
sweeps were in Yugoslavia in 1981, Tianjin in 1995 and Osaka in 2001. The event, organized by the International Table
Tennis Federation (ITTF), Chinese Table Tennis Association and Shanghai
municipal government, is believed to be the biggest championship in the
event's history. This year over 1,500 players and officials from 147
countries and regions and 866 journalists from around the world attended. "This is the best championships I have seen.
The spectators are so good and the organizing work is also perfect,"
said Adham Sharara, chairman of the ITTF. "The Chinese players have
played great table tennis and championships should be given to the best
players in the world." Shanghai native Wang Liqin, the 2001 world
championship winner, regained a long-awaited men's singles trophy. Despite being the dominant nation in the world of
table tennis, China has missed out on recent men's singles titles. Ryu
Seung-min of South Korea won the Athens Olympic gold medal and Werner
Schlager of Austria took the 47th World Championships in Paris in 2003. "We were determined before the tournament to
win the trophy back," said Wang. "My next target is the Beijing
Olympics. As long as I can participate, I will try my best to win the gold,
just like I've done tonight." Wang Liqin made it to the men's final after
overpowering Oh Sang-eun of South Korea 4-1 while Ma advanced with a
lop-sided 4-0 victory over dark horse Michael Maze, who beat Athens singles
finalist Wang Hao and promising star Hao Shuai. "I tried hard to find my range but it is Ma who
controlled the match from the very beginning. It seemed like he knew what I
wanted to do on the table and I think he is the best of the three players I
have met in the tournament," said Maze. "There is still a gap between us and Ma is much
better than me. "I am not sad as I played my best table tennis
and even beat two Chinese players, and now I will go back home and start a
new round of training." Both Ma and Wang were playing in their second
championship final. "I was pushed in the first three games,"
said Wang. "The timeout in the fourth game was very welcome and after
that I gradually got back on track." The championships also saw Chinese veteran Wang Nan
equal the record of 18 world titles. She now shares with China's legendary
Deng Yaping after she and Zhang Yining defeated Guo Yue and Niu Jianfeng 4-1
to defend their women's doubles championship. "This is the best result I could imagine
because the Shanghai event will be my last world championships," said
Wang Nan, who has participated five championships. "The record of 18 golds was not in my mind.
Deng Yaping and I are very different players, she is more active and
aggressive than me." Wang/Zhang ousted Hong Kong's Tie Yana and Zhang Rui
4-2 in the semi-finals earlier on Friday and their rivals Guo and Niu
overpowered tournament debutantes Bai Yang/Guo Yan 4-0. Facing speculation that her era is over after
Zhang's swift emergence, Wang, retiring from international competition after
the Shanghai event, was candid about passing on the title of leading player
in the national team. "That's quite common," said Wang Nan.
"She is definitely the best woman player in the world and deserves to be
the leader of the team." Earlier yesterday, Wang Nan received 10,001 red roses
from her fans even though she was knocked out by South Korea's Moon Hyun-jung
4-3 in the third round of the singles competition. "This is the greatest moment of my
career," sobbed Wang Nan. "I've never seen so many roses in my
life, especially after my defeat in the singles. I felt so sorry. "I want to present the doubles' victory to my
fans who always support me and I will remember them all my life." Wang also carried home a half-size duplicate of the
women's singles trophy for winning three consecutive titles between 1999 and
2003. (China Daily May 7, 2005) |