Chinese table tennis players win without surprise. A dry Swede is on board and also Spain’s gold.
Table Tennis Manners
Gary Lineker, the British former footballer turned sports reporter, once joked that football was a simple game of 22 men chasing a ball for 90 minutes and that the Germans win in the end. Ah, the British sense of humour. But apply that to table tennis and the winners in the end are… the Chinese. Since the introduction of team competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China has won the men’s title. The women have also nabbed the top prize and were scheduled to play Japan on Day 15 to try and emulate their male compatriots. The men’s team, which beat Sweden 3-0 to win their fifth consecutive title, featured Long Ma – considered one of the best players – as well as world number one Chuqin Wang and world number two Zhendong Fan.
Christian spirit
Follow the fashion
And it’s not just Kristian Karlsson’s thing. The French team, featuring Simon Gauzy and Lebrun boys Felix and Alexis, lost to the Chinese in the semifinals before beating Japan to take bronze. “Winning an Olympic medal and being on the podium is a dream come true,” said Gauzy. “The Chinese were exceptional. We knew they were extremely strong, but even when they have phases where they play a little less well, they are still better than the rest of us. Quite simply, they have the three best players in the world together and they showed it as a team.”
Comebacks and setbacks
Tracking
Read more on RFI English
Read also:
Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Five things we learned on Day 2: Marchand! Marchand!
Olympic Games 2024 in Paris: Five things we learned on day 10 – Ambition in the leap
Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Five things we learned on Day 9 – Golden Slam
