Hk side ends Olympic run in table tennis
22/8/2008 17:45
The Hong Kong table tennis team has its Olympic run halted after Ko Lai
Chak was outgunned by top-seeded Chinese Wang Hao in the men's quarterfinal
today.
Wang was hardly made to sweat in his five-set clash with Ko, wining
11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9.
"I won mainly because I prepared well for any
difficulties. I was too conservative in the first two games. Then I started to
become more decisive in my shots," said Wang, who has been world number one for
10 straight months.
"I have done a good job in receiving, but Wang's overall
skills are much better than mine," said Ko.
Ko cruised into the men's singles
top eight after disposing of German sensation Dimitrij Ovtcharov 4-1 to secure a
berth in the top eight.
The 32nd-ranked veteran had edged out defending
champion Ryu Seung Min 4-2 yesterday to make the biggest surprise of the
tournament.
"We are too keen to win and that's why we did not bring out our
best in this Olympics," Ko added.
Fourth-seeded Hong Kong finished fourth in
the men's team event after being edged by Japan in the group stage and South
Korea in a bronze play-off.
"We would have had chance to compete for the
bronze medal if our paddlers had played as well as they did in the singles,"
said Hong Kong coach Chan Kong Wah, who still smarted over the team's failure to
reach top three.
Chan gave credit to Ko for his performance in downing Ryu
and Ovtcharov. Another Hong Kong player Li Ching was brushed aside by Tan Ruiwu
of Croatia in the 1/8 round.
Xinhua
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