(Photo: Xinhua)

On Aug. 23, 2004, 22-year-old Ryu Seung Min, the world No. 3 from South Korea, broke the Chinese stranglehold on Olympic table tennis gold medals when he defeated Wang Hao in a men's singles final battle of speedy penholders.
It was the first Olympic singles gold for South Korea since Yoo Nam Kyu's triumph in Seoul in 1988. The victory tasted even sweeter because Ryu had lost to Wang six straight times before the Olympics.
"I don't think I am genius as media said of me," said Ryu. "Years of hard training, a good touch and a bit of talent made me become what I am now."
Ryu was born in Seoul in 1982 and moved with his parents to Incheon in 1988, when Yoo won an Olympic table tennis gold and set off a nation-wide frenzy for the sport. Ryu's father built a table tennis club and taught the son to play the game. Ryu won his first tournament as a third-grader and then claimed a string of national events of his age. He vowed to beat Chinese after he suffered a humiliating loss to Chinese teenager Tan Ruiwu in the 2nd East Asian championships.
Ryu's doubles partner Lee Chul Seung says Ryu is hard-working and methodical. "He doesn't need anyone to worry about him and he thinks about table tennis all the time.
In 1996, Ryu, as a high school student, finished fourth in his group full of national team players and made it to the final qualifying tournament for the Asian championships. All of a sudden, South Korean media trained their attention on the slim teenager. Pressure knocked Ryu down ill 10 days before the tournament. He ranked seventh out of 12 after garnering a lackluster record of five wins and five losses but was invited to observe the Asian championships in Singapore because table tennis authorities believed Ryu would amount to something.
In the 7th Asian youth championships in 1999, Ryu landed the men's singles and doubles gold medals and was hailed as "Hope of Asia". His then teammate Kim Taek Soo, who later became Ryu's coach, said at that time: "Ryu will be a key player in the South Korean team and he will reach the top of the world."
Ryu made his Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000, hoping to win a doubles medal with Lee Chul Seung. But they only finished fourth and Ryu was eliminated early in the singles competition. "I was young and nervous. I could only sleep two or three hours every night in Sydney. If I could play to half of my best, I would have won a bronze medal."
Ryu joined a Chinese professional club in 2001 and stood on the top podium in the Asian Games in 2002 when he combined with Lee Chul Seung to win the men's doubles. Meanwhile, Ryu was released of military service and had more time for training.
In his preparation for the Athens Olympics, Ryu trained six hours everyday including one used to deal with Chinese players. "Chinese knew my game and I wanted to know theirs," he said.
"Ryu realized his dream as well as mine in the Athens Olympics," said coach Kim Taek Soo. "He never shrinks from difficulties in life or training.
"He has type O blood and so do I. He's very serious while doing things. We are alike."
Chinese coach Yin Xiao said there was a difference between Ryu and Kim. "Both play aggressively but Kim is more experienced and more tactics-conscious," said Yin. "Kim choked at clutch moments, just as he did in the 2001 team championship final against China. Ryu didn't choke in the Olympics."
"I am bold in competition, but not so bold in my life," said Ryu. Ryu strained his back two weeks before the 2004 Olympics and he didn't have any training in Athens. He was fully fit until his championship final against Wang Hao.
Ryu won 11-3, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-13, 11-9 and had it not been for Wang's sheer nerve and fighting spirit, the score would have been easier. Ryu bulleted his ferocious forehand through Wang in the first game to win easily. The weapon that Wang might have hoped that would have given him the edge over the lightening-fast moving Korean, his unusual penhold topspin backhand, let him down.
In the second game, Wang's backhand got more consistent, which allowed him to move about and keep out Ryu's dangerous forehand, forcing Ryu to make more forehand errors. When Ryu saved the first of two game points with a big forehand loop, Wang's corner called time-out. Ryu then missed a forehand and the game score was even, 1-1.
The third game was again very close, both players attacking aggressively from either side of the table with their forehands or trying to keep each other out with short pushes. Ryu both won and lost more points by going for forehand winners, but the strategy paid off, including a power forehand flick of a short ball, and he won the game from 9-9. The fourth game followed a similar pattern, with Ryu adding punched backhands to take a couple of points. At 10-8 up he counter-attacked a rather too pensively a Wang backhand wide to his forehand, but he made sure of winning the second game point with a strong forehand loop cross-court to Wang's forehand.
Ryu went to a 8-4, fifth game lead, but Wang demonstrated his character by leveling at 9-9, attacking on both wings and forcing mistakes from the South Korean by awkward placements wide or at the body. Nevertheless, Ryu got his first match point when a Wang block just missed, but Wang saved it with a backhand loop. Ryu went game point behind, missing from his extreme forehand, but won the next long rally, forcing Wang to retreat on his backhand. A Wang backhand loop to the center, which Ryu blocked into the net, and then a Ryu missed forehand loop, gave Wang the game and he was back in the match.
Once again in the sixth game, Ryu's aggression led to an 8-4 lead, but once more Wang heroically fought back to 9-9, pressuring mistakes from Ryu. Wang then missed with a forehand push wide on his forehand and Ryu had his second match point. This time he made sure of victory with a strong course attack to Wang's forehand.
"I think that my gold medal was because of hard training and good luck. The Chinese are still the strongest and the best and I should not be complacent. I will keep training hard, and analyzing European methods and reflect that in my training, in order to become a future world champion," Ryu said after the match.

Ryu Seung Min Factfile

Date of Birth: May 5, 1982
Height: 177cm

Ryu plays topspin game in the traditional Korean penhold style and has a strong, heavy-spin and wide-angled forehand. He also has the fastest footwork in the world. With almost the same flick of the wrist, he can serve lefty topspin and backspin and righty topspin and backspin. He can block and attack with backhand.

Results:
Semifinals in Asian youth championships in 1997
2nd in doubles in world youth championships in 1998
1st in singles and doubles in Asian youth championships in 1999
4th in doubles in Sydney Olympics in 2000
1st in doubles in China Open in 2002
1st in doubles, 2nd in mixed doubles in Asian Games in 2002
1st in doubles in Croatia Open in 2004
1st in singles and doubles in Egypt Open in 2004
1st in singles and doubles in US Open
1st in singles in Athens Olympics in 2004
Quarterfinals in Qatar Open in 2004