Given the exacting standards the host has set for itself for the upcoming Games, China will be looking to win a maximum of eight medals out of the 12 at stake, writes Rakesh Rao.
It is futile to look beyond China in the Olympic table tennis competition. Though surprise outcomes are part of any sporting event, it appears highly improbable that the host will be denied a sweep of all four titles. The pressure is obviously enormous on those carrying the hopes of a nation so used to being in a dominant position. But they have the players to contribute their mite to China’s sole aim of getting past the mighty Americans in the overall medals tally.
The decision to replace the men’s and women’s doubles with team events in Beijing has in no way dented China’s prospects of a golden sweep. Looking at the composition and recent form of the Chinese teams, it becomes increasingly clear that other contenders like South Korea and Germany will only be fighting for the lesser medals.
Consider this. The Chinese men’s team comprises World Cup and Asian champion Wang Hao, four-time World Cup winner Ma Lin and three-time World champion Wang Liqin. These players, ranked one, two and four in the world, were also part of the last Olympic squad in Athens.
The fact that this Chinese trio whipped Korea 3-0 in the World team final in March this year reflects the difference in strengths between the best and the rest. Besides Korea, which includes defending champion and World number eight, Ryu Seung Min and 15th ranked Park MiYoung, Germany and Japan can hope for a medal.
World number six Timo Boll and 14th ranked Dimitrij Ovtcharov form the core of the German challenge with 40th ranked Christian Suss being the supporting cast.
Japan, with the experienced Kan Yo, who is ranked 19th, and the young duo of Jun Mizutani and Seiya Kishikawa, ranked 22nd and 63rd, can be expected to be among the medals. Hong Kong, including some of the China-born imports holds the promise of making the medal bracket.
In the singles, a Chinese sweep looks a distinct possibility. Wang Hao, whose shock loss to Ryu Seung Min in the final of the Athens Olympics denied China a clean sweep, will obviously be keen to set the record straight.
Ma Lin and Wang Liqin will also be aiming for the gold and this in turn increases the prospects of an all-China men’s final.
Among the Europeans, besides Timo Boll, some serious challenge can also come from the World number five from Belarus, Vladimir Samsonov, Holland’s Li Jiao, USA’s Wang Chen and Gao Jun, Austria’s veteran Werner Schlager and Belgium’s Jean-Michael Saive.
Former World champion and semifinalist in the 2004 Sydney Games, Sweden’s Jorgen Persson, ranked 33, will still be around but his longtime team-mate, the 1992 champion and 2000 runner-up Jan-Ove Waldner will be missing from the field for the first time since table tennis made its debut in Seoul in 1988. In the women’s section, too, it is hard to see China being denied gold. World number one and defending champion Zhang Yining, second ranked Guo Yue and fifth-placed Wang Nan look just too good for the rest.
Singapore, with three top-10 players and all exports from China — Wang Yue Gu, Li Jiawei and Feng Tianwei — should pose an interesting challenge to the host.
Similarly, Austria with Lui Jia and Li Qiangbing in its ranks, and Holland with Li Jiao and Li Jie, promise a few surprises. The medal prospects of Hong Kong, with Tie Yana and Lin Ling, ranked 10 and 14, cannot be discounted.
Similarly, for the individual gold, the resistance for the Chinese girls should come only from those of Asian origin. Given the exacting standards the host has set for itself for the upcoming Games, China will be looking to win a maximum of eight medals out of the 12 at stake. More than the number, what China really wants is the possession of all four gold medals. Anything less is sure to hurt the nation’s pride.
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