- Reuters
- , Friday August 15 2008
(adds match details)
By Simon Rabinovitch
BEIJING, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Singapore was guaranteed their
first Olympic medal since 1960 -- and only its second of all
time -- when they beat South Korea on Friday to advance to the
women's team championship in table tennis.
A weightlifting silver in 1960 in Rome has stood as the
city-state's only Olympic medal.
Singapore will face the winner of a semi-final between
China and Hong Kong. If Singapore's women lose the championship
match on Sunday, they would still take home the silver.
Fired up by a vocal pro-Singapore crowd, world number nine
Feng Tianwei was the key player, launching the contest with a
rapid-fire win in the first match and closing it with a classy
and controlled victory in the tense final match.
Singapore beat the previously undefeated South Korea three
matches to two in the best-of-five contest.
Fans were treated to perhaps the finest table tennis of the
Olympics yet in a match between Beijing-born Li Jia Wei,
Singapore's top player at world number six, and Kim Kyung-ah,
South Korea's best at 11th.
The contrasting styles of Li's aggressive topspin and Kim's
defensive chops proved the perfect blend for rallies that
regularly topped 20 hits.
Li, who has been frazzled by nerves on big occasions
before, showed impatience toward the end, rushing her forehand.
Kim fell to her knees after sealing the win, 5-11 11-8 9-11
11-6 and 11-9.
But Li rebounded in the next match, pairing up with world
number seven Wang Yue Gu to swat aside their Korean opponents
in doubles play, 11-7 11-6 and 11-9.
Wang dropped the next match in straight games to Korea's
Dang Ye-seo, bringing Singapore's unflappable Feng back to the
table for the deciding match. Despite the acrobatics of Korea's
Park Mi-young, Feng prevailed 11-7 12-10 3-11 and 11-9, winning
when the Korean committed a rare error, faulting on her serve.
The three Singaporean players were all born in China, as
was their coach, Liu Guodong, the brother of China's men's
coach.
Though they have been the most successful of the many
Chinese table tennis emigres around the world, they have not
always had the full backing of native Singaporeans.
Li has lived in Singapore for 13 years, but she speaks
little English -- its language of government and commerce --
and instead prefers to converse in Mandarin.
