Wang Chuqin’s joy at winning her first Olympic gold medal in table tennis doubles has turned to despair afterwards.
After Wang and Sun Young-sa beat South Korean players on Tuesday, photographers rushing to capture the moment accidentally broke the world number one’s racket. The racket is a vital piece of equipment needed for the next day’s singles match, and Wang was in disbelief and had to be calmed down by her coach.
“They didn’t do it on purpose. It’s happened now, so there’s not much I can do. I’ll try to play well with the spare paddle,” said Wang, still feeling the effects of the incident. “Maybe it’s fate.”
If this was fate, his next match was a disaster.
Sweden’s Truls Molegaard, 22, produced a shocking 4-2 upset after admitting he had never won a set against Wang before.
“I’ve hardly ever won a set against Wang, so it’s great to win here,” Molegaard said. “I thought I played really smart in the tactical match and I didn’t think he was at his best right from the start.”
Although Wang was adamant that he did not want to blame his poor performance on a broken paddle, the loss undoubtedly came as a shock to everyone involved in the tournament.
2024 Paris Olympics
“I think the main reason was my poor performance, which gave Molegaard an opportunity. I made a lot of mistakes and gradually the situation became unfavorable for me,” Wang said. Wang will continue her trip to Paris with China in the team competition, with her next opportunity coming up on August 6.
Wang is considered a -5000 favorite (98.04 percent chance) to win the match, and this loss will likely be one of the most significant in Olympic history.
Mollegard defeated Egypt’s Omar Assar 4-1 in the quarterfinals on Thursday to set up a semifinal match against Brazil’s Hugo Calderano.
