China’s Wang Chuqin, top-seeded in the men’s singles table tennis at the 2024 Olympic Games, failed to reach the Round of 16 following a surprising 2-4 defeat to Truls Moregard of Sweden on Wednesday.
Wang, a 24-year-old Olympic debutant who took gold in the mixed doubles on Tuesday with his partner Sun Yingsha, was denied the chance to advance further after just two matches in the men’s singles event, losing 10-12, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 9-11 and 6-11 to the 22-year-old Swede at the South Paris Arena 4.
“I definitely felt very down coming off the court. I had such a high yesterday from winning the mixed doubles gold. To go from that to this low, I guess this is what competitive sport is about,” said Wang after the match.
Wang’s bat was accidentally broken on Tuesday after the mixed doubles final match, so he had to play with his backup bat. However, he did not believe that using the backup bat was the main reason for his loss, reports Xinhua.
“It’s because I wasn’t good enough today. My opponent had some changes in his serves and I didn’t respond to them well enough. It’s got nothing to do with the bat. I’ll reflect on this loss, and come back strong for the team event,” said Wang.
Moregard, also an Olympic newcomer who won the silver medal in the men’s singles at the 2021 World Championships in Houston in the United States, felt “super happy” for his victory over the top seed.
“I stuck to my plan that I had, and I really believed in it. I continued even if I lost two sets in the middle. I played fantastic table tennis and it was really, really good,” he said.
Jorgen Persson, Sweden’s head coach, emphasized the importance of belief when playing against China. “Belief plays a big part when you see how much they’re winning. It’s important that you always believe it’s possible. That’s what I’m trying to convey to my players.”
“It’s possible to beat them, but you have to play at your 110 percent,” he added.
Moregard will next play 19-year-old Kao Cheng-Jui of Chinese Taipei later on Wednesday for a spot in the quarterfinals.
