Olympic memory: when ‘desperate’ 2004 table tennis duo won Hong Kong’s second ever medal
- It was all about mentality as Li Ching and Ko Lai-chak battled Russians and their own doubts to clinch a podium place
Hong Kong’s second-ever Olympic medal came in table tennis in 2004, and men’s doubles pair Li Ching and Ko Lai-chak were agreed about what the most memorable moment of it was.
Looking back at the Athens Games 20 years later, they said in unison that winning the semi-final against Russia’s Dmitry Mazunov and Alexey Smirnov was better than pocketing silver medals after losing the final.
“It was because winning the semi-final guaranteed a medal,” Ko, 48, said. “If we had lost, we still had to play for the bronze medal.
“I remember clearly, at 6-6 in the sixth game [when leading three games to two], I was bold enough to attack, and then two more points from Li’s backhand basically sealed the match.
“I will never forget about those four points and I think we had the right mentality at that time.”
The 4-2 win ensured the city a place on an Olympic podium for only a second time, after Lee Lai-shan’s windsurfing gold in Atlanta in 1996. Li said his legs were trembling before meeting the Russians at the Galatsi Olympic Hall.
