China swept all four gold medals again at the London Olympics, duplicating its results from Beijing four years ago. It was barely challenged, and when it was it usually involved another minimum pressure valve player born in mainland China, but who was playing for Singapore, or Hong Kong or even South Korea.
Only three nations on the women’s side in London were without a China-born player, or player with Chinese roots — Egypt, North Korea and Japan. Even the Republic of Congo had a China-born player.
China men’s coach Liu Guoliang, a double gold medalist in 1996, knows the game needs more competition.
Adham Sharara, president of the International Tennis Table Federation, said he has pushed Chinese officials to open up their state-run sports schools to non-Chinese.
“Their national training center is still closed, but we’re trying to convince them to open it,” Sharara said in an interview with runescape accounts The Associated Press. “It’s like the U.S. with basketball or Canada with ice hockey. If you keep it only for yourself — you win everything and nobody else can win — then everybody else loses interest.
Players in London smiled and sobbed just to reach the podium, often celebrating while Chinese on the top rung of the podium seemed relieved it was over, lifting enormous pressure from a billion fans at home who expected gold in the national pastime.
In women’s singles, Li Xiaoxia took gold and teammate Ding Ning took silver. That allowed a bronze for Feng Tianwei of Singapore, who was born in China. Zhang Jike won gold on the men’s side, and teammate Wang Hao got silver. This left Dimitrij Octcharov of Germany with a bronze.
The ITTF changed the rules after Beijing, allowing only two entries in singles from any one nation. That automatically took two medals from China — it swept all three in men and women’s singles gas appliance parts in Beijing — but didn’t stop the gold haul.
China has won 24 of 28 gold medals in table tennis since the sport was added to the Olympics in 1988.
Sharara said he’s hoping for more competition in Rio de Janeiro in four years, encouraged by young players like 16-year-old Ariel Hsing of the United States, who pushed the eventual champion Li before losing in six tight games in the best-of-seven format — 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9.
Japan’s 19-year-old Kasumi Ichikawa and 23-year-old Ai Fukuhara picked up silver in the team event. The young Japanese women look like a serious threat to China.
“It will change in the next four or five years,” Sharara said. “You will see other teams will win. Otherwise, of course, it’s very disturbing to power cord have the same — whether it’s China or the U.S. — winning for too long.”
It was a successful return. The 6,000-seat venue at the ExCel arena was sold out — or a near-sellout — for every session.
“In Beijing expectations were very high,” Sharara said. “Coming here the expectation was very low. We expected the first few days there would be no spectators at all, and people would be interested once we reached the quarterfinals. What amazed me is from the first day there wasn’t one session that wasn’t full.
“I feel better here because our sport was exposed to a lot of people who didn’t know it before. Here it was mostly new people that saw table tennis.”
Sharara promised glitz for Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
“They want Rio to be different,” he said. “We want to add more dynapac concrete vibrator entertainment there, and what better place than Rio to have some dancers, some music and entertainment between matches.”
Thursday, August 9, 2012
China celebrates gold in the men's Team Table Tennis
Since the sport was added to the schedule at Seoul 1988, the Asian powerhouse's superiority has grown with every Games.
Li Xiaoxia and Zhang Jike won the women's and men's Singles respectively concrete vibrator hose, beating compatriots Ding Ning and Wang Hao in their finals.
The haul was completed as their two Team entries?- the women's was comprised of Li, Ding and Guo Yue and the men's Zhang, Wang and Ma Long - also sealed the ultimate prize.
Not since Swede Jan-Ove Waldner, who emerged victorious at Barcelona 1992, has Europe produced a gold medallist. Even?other Asian nations, where the sport is as popular, cannot reach the same standard as China.
The German won two bronze medals in London, one in the Singles and another alongside Timo Boll and Bastian Steger in the men's Team event.
There is also a?new wave of impressive Japanese players, epitomised power cord by Kasumi Ishikawa, Sayaka Hirano and Ai Fukuhara taking silver in the women's Team format.
The most notable statistic is that China have now won 24 of the 28 Table Tennis gold medals on offer after delivering a second successive clean sweep in London.
Following?Beijing 2008, when China scooped every Singles medal on offer, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) reduced the amount of players countries could enter into the Singles to two.
The change mattered little as a maximum medal haul of four golds and two gas appliance parts silvers was delivered by China's representatives in London.
It seems Dimitrij Ovtcharov may be the man most likely to break the pattern.
That was Japan's first Olympic medal in the sport, though it will surely represent the first of many.
ITTF president Adham Sharara said: 'What has amazed me is that from the first day until the end, there has not been one session that is not full.
'That is really amazing; I do not know if it is the spirit of runescape gold the Games or what, but it has been very impressive.
Li Xiaoxia and Zhang Jike won the women's and men's Singles respectively concrete vibrator hose, beating compatriots Ding Ning and Wang Hao in their finals.
The haul was completed as their two Team entries?- the women's was comprised of Li, Ding and Guo Yue and the men's Zhang, Wang and Ma Long - also sealed the ultimate prize.
Not since Swede Jan-Ove Waldner, who emerged victorious at Barcelona 1992, has Europe produced a gold medallist. Even?other Asian nations, where the sport is as popular, cannot reach the same standard as China.
The German won two bronze medals in London, one in the Singles and another alongside Timo Boll and Bastian Steger in the men's Team event.
There is also a?new wave of impressive Japanese players, epitomised power cord by Kasumi Ishikawa, Sayaka Hirano and Ai Fukuhara taking silver in the women's Team format.
The most notable statistic is that China have now won 24 of the 28 Table Tennis gold medals on offer after delivering a second successive clean sweep in London.
Following?Beijing 2008, when China scooped every Singles medal on offer, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) reduced the amount of players countries could enter into the Singles to two.
The change mattered little as a maximum medal haul of four golds and two gas appliance parts silvers was delivered by China's representatives in London.
It seems Dimitrij Ovtcharov may be the man most likely to break the pattern.
That was Japan's first Olympic medal in the sport, though it will surely represent the first of many.
ITTF president Adham Sharara said: 'What has amazed me is that from the first day until the end, there has not been one session that is not full.
'That is really amazing; I do not know if it is the spirit of runescape gold the Games or what, but it has been very impressive.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Just 2 points stood between Lee Chong Wei and gold in the men’s badminton finals
That was the bounty offered by the Malaysian badminton enthusiast and gold mine owner Andrew Kam. In July, Kam announced that any Malaysian badminton player who took home top honors in London would be rewarded with portable concrete vibrator a roughly 25-pound bar of gold.
“This is my challenge to our players,” he said at the time. “I hope it will motivate them to try even harder.”
He fell to his archrival and the reigning king of the game, Lin Dan of China, in a tense and mesmerizing 79-minute contest that ended 21-19 in the third and decisive game. The score had been tied, 19-19, but Lin played the final 3 points flawlessly, and in the last rally he stood and watched a shot by Lee sail an inch or two past the line.
When the shuttle was called out, Lin bolted into the empty space power cord near the court at Wembley Arena, a display of ecstasy punctuated by tears, a flop on the floor and his go-to ritual: the shirt toss into the crowd.
“You’ve got to understand, Lee is our national hero, because badminton is our national game,” said Rory Tan of Malaysia, who spoke with a Malaysian flag draped on his shoulders. “The way every kid in England plays football, every kid in Malaysia plays badminton.”
The fans from China are every bit as smitten, though there’s also a heartthrob element to the worship that Lin inspires.
Lin also has Lee’s number. The two met in the finals of the Olympics in Beijing, and there, too, Lin won gold. More recently, Lin prevailed at a match in the world championship a year ago, played here. Lee lost after dropping two match points, an ending that he has said still haunts him.
This was Lee’s opportunity for revenge, and the proceedings had a kind of cage-match atmosphere. Two British announcers stood before the audience in the lead-up to the first point and gas appliance parts seemed eager to banish the genteel, loping game many British imagine when they think of badminton.
The wound caused by that scandal will probably not heal anytime soon, but the Lee-Lin showdown demonstrated what a riveting spectacle badminton can be when played all out. It’s a game of brute force and deft touch, with the shuttle traveling at more than 150 miles per hour after an overhead smash and at the pace of a crawl when dinked over the net.
Lin is a master of deception, skilled at faking left when he is shooting right, or hitting the shuttle soft and short when he leaps high and looks as if he is going to pummel it long. Lee, though, was rarely fooled. These two have played each other so many times, their rallies look like carefully runescape accounts choreographed dances executed at blazing speeds.
After that, it was one tie after another. At 19-19, the crowd was in something close to a frenzy, and the players — because of nerves or exhaustion — kept asking for breaks to have the court wiped down or to trade a used shuttle for a new one.
There was a news conference afterward, but as with many of these trilingual affairs, it was hard to glean much information. Lin is marrying, and he plans to invite Lee to the wedding; Lee will retire before the next Olympics; and at 19-19, each player was hoping the other would make a mistake.
“This is my challenge to our players,” he said at the time. “I hope it will motivate them to try even harder.”
He fell to his archrival and the reigning king of the game, Lin Dan of China, in a tense and mesmerizing 79-minute contest that ended 21-19 in the third and decisive game. The score had been tied, 19-19, but Lin played the final 3 points flawlessly, and in the last rally he stood and watched a shot by Lee sail an inch or two past the line.
When the shuttle was called out, Lin bolted into the empty space power cord near the court at Wembley Arena, a display of ecstasy punctuated by tears, a flop on the floor and his go-to ritual: the shirt toss into the crowd.
“You’ve got to understand, Lee is our national hero, because badminton is our national game,” said Rory Tan of Malaysia, who spoke with a Malaysian flag draped on his shoulders. “The way every kid in England plays football, every kid in Malaysia plays badminton.”
The fans from China are every bit as smitten, though there’s also a heartthrob element to the worship that Lin inspires.
Lin also has Lee’s number. The two met in the finals of the Olympics in Beijing, and there, too, Lin won gold. More recently, Lin prevailed at a match in the world championship a year ago, played here. Lee lost after dropping two match points, an ending that he has said still haunts him.
This was Lee’s opportunity for revenge, and the proceedings had a kind of cage-match atmosphere. Two British announcers stood before the audience in the lead-up to the first point and gas appliance parts seemed eager to banish the genteel, loping game many British imagine when they think of badminton.
The wound caused by that scandal will probably not heal anytime soon, but the Lee-Lin showdown demonstrated what a riveting spectacle badminton can be when played all out. It’s a game of brute force and deft touch, with the shuttle traveling at more than 150 miles per hour after an overhead smash and at the pace of a crawl when dinked over the net.
Lin is a master of deception, skilled at faking left when he is shooting right, or hitting the shuttle soft and short when he leaps high and looks as if he is going to pummel it long. Lee, though, was rarely fooled. These two have played each other so many times, their rallies look like carefully runescape accounts choreographed dances executed at blazing speeds.
After that, it was one tie after another. At 19-19, the crowd was in something close to a frenzy, and the players — because of nerves or exhaustion — kept asking for breaks to have the court wiped down or to trade a used shuttle for a new one.
There was a news conference afterward, but as with many of these trilingual affairs, it was hard to glean much information. Lin is marrying, and he plans to invite Lee to the wedding; Lee will retire before the next Olympics; and at 19-19, each player was hoping the other would make a mistake.
The good people of the London Olympic Organizing Committee
On an afternoon set aside to celebrate the fact that the Summer Games have finally reached gender parity with the introduction of women's boxing, local organizers spoiled things minimum pressure valve by sending eight women in form-fitting Lycra outfits into the ring first to pantomime boxing moves to the beat of Labelle's "Lady Marmalade."
That seemed an odd way to mark the fact that in these Olympics, for the first time, competition is being held in the same number of sports - 26 - for men and women. That closes a gap that was substantial just 20 years ago, before women were invited to stop dancing in the pregame show and compete alongside men in judo, soccer, wrestling and weightlifting, among other sports.
There are so many countries out there that don't have equal rights for women," lightweight Alexis Pritchard of New Zealand said. "So this is for them."
Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte of India, the only woman to win six world championships d3 gold, came out of retirement and changed weight classes to be able to fight here.
Sunday's loss ends a long, emotional journey for Underwood, who, along with older sister Hazzauna, suffered years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of their father. She eventually learned to take her rage out in the ring, winning five national titles and a bronze medal in the 2010 world championships.
But against Jonas, who took up boxing to lose weight and hasn't finished better than third in any major tournament gas appliance parts, Underwood fell behind early and stayed there. Jonas delivered several thunderous rights that appeared to stun the American. And when Underwood tried to rally in the final two rounds of the four-round bout, Jonas stood toe to toe with her and slugged it out.
Now I think I'm due for a little bit of break and a little bit of rest. I'm tired. This has been one hell of a journey."
Although the Olympic experience may be over for Underwood, it may just be getting started for women's boxing, said Wu Ching-kuo, president of amateur boxing's international governing body. There are only three weight categories for women in London, as opposed to 11 for the men. But that could change by the power cord next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
That seemed an odd way to mark the fact that in these Olympics, for the first time, competition is being held in the same number of sports - 26 - for men and women. That closes a gap that was substantial just 20 years ago, before women were invited to stop dancing in the pregame show and compete alongside men in judo, soccer, wrestling and weightlifting, among other sports.
There are so many countries out there that don't have equal rights for women," lightweight Alexis Pritchard of New Zealand said. "So this is for them."
Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte of India, the only woman to win six world championships d3 gold, came out of retirement and changed weight classes to be able to fight here.
Sunday's loss ends a long, emotional journey for Underwood, who, along with older sister Hazzauna, suffered years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of their father. She eventually learned to take her rage out in the ring, winning five national titles and a bronze medal in the 2010 world championships.
But against Jonas, who took up boxing to lose weight and hasn't finished better than third in any major tournament gas appliance parts, Underwood fell behind early and stayed there. Jonas delivered several thunderous rights that appeared to stun the American. And when Underwood tried to rally in the final two rounds of the four-round bout, Jonas stood toe to toe with her and slugged it out.
Now I think I'm due for a little bit of break and a little bit of rest. I'm tired. This has been one hell of a journey."
Although the Olympic experience may be over for Underwood, it may just be getting started for women's boxing, said Wu Ching-kuo, president of amateur boxing's international governing body. There are only three weight categories for women in London, as opposed to 11 for the men. But that could change by the power cord next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
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