Updated 01.05 | Published 2024-08-09 17.34
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PARIS. Sweden took all matches to five sets.
But “impossible” China won the men’s team final 3–0.
– The level they play at in the arbitration is almost ridiculous, says Kristian Karlsson.
China’s team had only lost two sets in the Olympics en route to the final against Sweden, but there China suddenly lost six sets.
In the doubles match, Kristian Karlsson and Anton Källberg forced Ma Long and Wang Chuqin to decide in the tiebreaker and then Truls Möregårdh did the same in singles against Fan Zhendong.
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fullscreen chevron-rightnextAnton Källberg and Kristian Karlsson during their doubles match.
1 / 2Photo: Pontus Orre
3–2, 3–2, 3–2
China’s third 3–2 victory in the final came when Kristian Karlsson gave world number one Wang Chuqin a proper match. But in the fifth set, Chuqin tied the knot and China finally won the final 3–0.
Truls Möregårdh showed deep admiration for the Chinese.
– They are so big. When I watch that team … I told the guys straight away afterwards. What kind of team are we facing? There are three players who are absolutely insanely good at this sport and we still manage to push them in every game. I am very proud, he says after the final loss.
Kristian Karlsson states that China was the best in the decisive situations. In the singles match, he lost the tiebreaker with 2–11.
– The level they play at in the arbitration is almost ridiculous, it’s a bit of a shame. I have no chance. 2–11, you can call that without a chance. It’s a shame, says Karlsson.
He doesn’t know how to feel about the silver medal yet.
– We gave them a damn match, we got the matches we were looking for and were close. It is clear that we would very much have liked to win a match. We believed in it all the way, we never give up. We have shown that, says Karlsson.
“Is amazing”
The final loss stings despite the effort.
– It is clear that it still stings a little, says Anton Källberg after Sweden received the silver medals.
Källberg continues:
– Silver is fantastic, but gold would have been something else. It would have been the biggest thing that happened in ping pong for I don’t know how long.
Möregårdh won two silver medals in the Olympics.
– An Olympic medal has been my dream since I started playing table tennis. In has been a dream and now I stand here with two in my first Olympics, he says.
No loss in 24 years
China’s men’s team has won at the their team matches since 2000, when it was Sweden who beat the Chinese in the WC final.
– The Chinese always play at their best when they are under pressure and nervous. They will take all the gold in this Olympics too – again! – and it shows how damn good they are in difficult situations, says Möregårdh.
Jörgen Persson noticed that the Chinese were nervous during the Olympic final.
– They felt pressured. You can also see that in the performance. I met Liu Guoliang who is the presidentinfoclosepresidentPresident of the China Table Tennis Association., he was grumpy. More sweaty than the players, says the national team captain.
Ma Long, the world’s best player of all time, paid tribute to the silver medalists.
– This match meant the most to us. The Swedish team is the strongest team we have faced. In the past, the Swedish team was very good. So when they came to the final here in Paris, we prepared a lot. They have a high capacity. It was 3-2 in each game, so we really had to be afraid of the gold. We have to respect the Swedish team a lot, says the playing legend.
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full screen Photo: Pontus Orre
Swedish medals at the Summer Olympics
Swedish medal winner in this year’s Olympics
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