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Mike Chan

China players said the comeback victory over Japan in the opening doubles match of the women’s team table tennis final was the key to winning their fifth Olympic gold medal on Saturday.
Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu also admitted Japan’s performance was better than they expected, as China battled to a hard-fought victory at the South Paris Arena.
Chen Meng, the women’s singles champion, said even the very first point of the tie had been “vital because it was all about a good start”.
“A win could give us better morale and momentum in the later matches,” she said.
The opening doubles encounter against Hina Hayata and Miwa Harimoto could have gone either way, with the Japanese pair just two points away from drawing first blood at one stage.

“On the brink of losing the first match, what supported us was the desire to win, and the belief to win it for the team,” Chen said.
The 23-year-old Sun said the opening win had given her an extra boost going into the first singles clash of the final against Miu Hirano.
And Sun needed all that confidence after almost dropping the first game before winning 13-11, 11-6, 11-6 .
“Taking the first point was crucial for it lifted my self-confidence, though I almost lost my first game still,” she said. “Miu Hirano played exceptionally well; the rhythm and quality of her shots exceeded my expectations.
“But I never gave up and crawled back slowly, I believed I did well and accomplished the mission my coach had given me, I hope I can continue to play like this after the Olympics.”

Wang, who partnered Chen in the doubles before snatching another point for China, said it was an “uneasy” win in the doubles after they twice fell behind.
“Probably only those who played in the match would understand the difficulty,” the two-time Olympic women’s team champion said. “I cried after winning the last point, but it was my back facing the camera so perhaps it wasn’t captured.
“It was a great start and a key step to building our momentum; I felt the most difficult moments had passed with the 2-0 lead.
“I expected a tough encounter with Miwa Harimoto and the way the match developed was normal, I just kept my patience and my teammates also gave me some advice, I felt happy with the gold medal.”
It was Chen’s fourth Olympic gold medal, having won singles and team titles in Tokyo and Paris, and the world No 2 took time to thank her teammates.
“We were fierce competitors over the last three years, but we were also close teammates who loved each other so much,” the 30-year-old said. “In the end, we needed to stick together to show what Chinese table tennis teams are made of.”


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The China team and their coach wave to supporters after winning the women’s team table tennis gold. Photo: Reuters

Chen Meng (right) and Wang Manyu celebrate winning a point against Hayata Hina and Harimoto Miwa. Photo: Xinhua

Fans celebrate in the stands after China beat Japan to win women’s team table tennis gold. Photo: Reuters

Sport

China

Paris Olympics 2024

Asia

Table Tennis

Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu and Chen Meng beat Japan 3-0 to make it five from five for China in table tennis events


Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu and Chen Meng beat Japan 3-0 to make it five from five for China in table tennis events.


ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation)