Gold medalists Zhang Yining(L), Guo Yue(C) and Wang Nan
of China show their gold medals at the awarding ceremony of the women's team
competition of Beijing Olympic Games table tennis event in Beijing, China
yesterday.- Xinhua
China clinched the women's Olympic team table tennis title yesterday, after
fighting off a strong challenge from Singapore to win the final 3-0.
It was the 17th gold medal that China won at the Olympic table tennis
competition since its national sport was introduced at the 1988 Seoul Games.
The star-studded Chinese women pushed, chopped and smashed, proving too
powerful for Singapore before an enthusiastic crowd of more than 4,000, though
both world number one Zhang Yining and veteran Wang Nan dropped a game.
Finishing second, Singapore won its first Olympic medal in 48 years since a
silver by weightlifter Tan Howe Liang in 1960.
Wang, who is often slow in finding her rhythm, failed to take a lead but
brushed aside Feng Tianwei 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6. The team title was the fourth
Olympic gold for Wang, the most decorated players in table tennis.
The battle between Zhang and Beijing-born Li Jia Wei of Singapore was full of
long rallies across the table, with Zhang winning 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-7. The
singles and doubles gold medalist in Athens then paired with world champion Guo
Yue, quickly finishing off Li and Wang Yue Gu 11-8, 11-5, 11-6.
Both China and Singapore had steamrolled over all before them with stunning
victories since the start of the Olympic team table tennis tournament, which
take the place of the doubles. They didn't meet each other until the final.
Chinese women, whose triumph seemed to have an air of inevitability, easily
took down Hong Kong of China 3-0 in the semifinal, while Singapore slew a
tenacious South Korea 3-2.