Search:



The Web

Rediff










Home > Sports > Athens 2004 > Reuters > Report

Chinese women take TT doubles title

August 20, 2004 20:17 IST

China's Wang Nan took her third Olympic gold medal on Friday, teaming up with Zhang Yining to beat Lee Eun-sil and Seok Eun-mi of South Korea 4-0 in the women's table tennis doubles.

China won all the golds and most of the silvers at the last two Olympics in Sydney and Atlanta and were expected to dominate the Athens tournament so much the rules were changed so two teams from the same country could not meet in the final.

Wang and Zhang were forced to beat compatriots Guo Yue and Niu Jianfeng in the semi-finals and Guo and Yue took the bronze medal in a close match over the South Korean pair of Kim Bok-rae and Kim Kyung-ah 4-3.

"I was quite disappointed to have lost in the singles. But my coach and I spoke and we said it was more important to win against a team that wasn't Chinese," Wang said referring to her shock quarter-final loss on Thursday.

Wang and Zhang dominated from the start, allowing their opponents little chance to get into the match, winning 11-9, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6.

"We were well prepared, but the Chinese had techniques we were not ready for," said runner-up Seok.

When asked what it is like to be one of China's most recognised sports figures, Wang said: "It's not just me, but every member of our national table tennis team is treated like a superstar in a country where our sport enjoys massive support."

The Chinese men also set themselves up for a gold medal, with Chen Qi and Ma Lin beating the Danish pair of Michael Maze and Finn Tugwell 4-2 in the semi-finals.

They will face the Hong Kong duo of Ko Lai Chak and Li Ching, who downed Russia's Dmitri Mazunov and Alexei Smirnov 4-2 in the second semi-final.



Article Tools
Email this article
Top emailed links
Print this article
Write us a letter
Discuss this article









Athens 2004: The Complete Coverage

© Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.











Copyright © 2004 rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved.