(28 July 1996; Day 9)
Sweden's Jan-Ove WALDNER, 4th-ranked table tennis player in the world, will not have the opportunity to defend his 1992 Olympic men's table tennis singles gold medal in Atlanta thanks to upset-minded Wen HUANG (CAN). HUANG had little trouble sending the Swede packing, defeating him 21:15, 17:21, 21:16, 21:15.
"I beat him once before in the World Cup, so I thought I had a chance to beat him again," said HUANG. "I think today it was a matter of my speed won out over WALDNER's spin."
Known for his shot-making and inventive all-around game, WALDNER did not look like the world-class player that he is in today's match. He seemed to lack the concentration needed to put away the aggressive Canadian.
"I have no regrets about coming here. I played against a better player today. I didn't play the way I know I can," said a disappointed WALDNER. "When I lost the first set, I lost my confidence. Then, when I won the second set, I really thought I'd end up winning the match 3 to 1. I just couldn't play today."
Coach Soren AHLEN (SWE) said today just wasn't WALDNER's day.
"It's difficult to say what the problem is," said AHLEN. "When he tried, he just missed. He is such a good player. He had a great chance to win the gold medal. This is a very difficult tournament. People are nervous and sometimes the player's self-confidence goes down."
A factor in WALDNER's performance today could have been the thumb injury he sustained just two weeks ago when he was looping the ball in a game. This injury knocked WALDNER out of practice for 14 days, a factor his coach believes contributed to the way the Swede played today.
"It's not good to rest from practice," said WALDNER. "I felt okay and thought I could play well. The injury is going away. Normally missing a little practice would not affect me, but I think missing that many days has had an effect."
WALDNER hesitated to blame a lack of practice or thumb injury for his loss, and said he is taking the loss in stride.
"After one or two weeks, it'll be over for me," he said. "On the horizon there is always another tournament to move on to. It'll be okay." P> The Swede said he plans to compete in the World Championships to be held in Manchester, England next year.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Kim Chaudoin.
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| The Mother Nature was kind to Olympic athletes and spectators. The average high temperature during the Games was 89 degrees with an average low of 72 degrees. Highest temperature registered (20 July) - 99 degrees. Lowest high temperature registered is 79 degrees (28 July). |