Paris Olympics: table tennis’ best miles ahead, Hong Kong duo say after Koreans win bronze
- Doo Hoi-kem feels Hongkongers ‘played superbly’ but gap was ‘huge’, while partner Wong Chun-ting says ‘maximum ability’ still not enough
Hong Kong’s table tennis mixed doubles duo admitted there was a big gap between them and the front runners in the world after they had to settle for fourth place at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem were swept aside by Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yubin of South Korea in 39-minute encounter, losing 11-5, 11-7, 11-7, 14-12 at South Paris Arena 4.
Finishing just outside the podium places bettered their quarter-final exit in Tokyo three years ago, but Doo said the gap to those at the top was bigger than it had seemed. She and Wong had lost 4-3 to North Korea in the semi-finals a day earlier.
“It might seem just a step, but it was certainly a huge one,” the 27-year-old said. “Just like the match against North Korea, I felt like we played superbly but it was just a normal performance for them, and that was the difference.”
Doo, who took bronze in the women’s team event at the last Games in Japan, added that most top mixed doubles partnerships do not put two players of the same hand together, and “for two right-handers to come this far, it was all about understanding, trust and support”.
