China's paddlers Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha claimed the country's first Olympic table tennis mixed doubles gold medal at Paris 2024.
PARIS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha took gold in table tennis mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics here on Tuesday, beating Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong of DPR Korea 4-2 in the final.
The top-seeded Chinese duo, who had won 2021 and 2023 World Championships, rallied to beat the DPR Korea tandem 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 at the South Paris Arena.
It is China's first Olympic gold medal in table tennis mixed doubles, after the category made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, where Japan's pair Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito won gold in a Japan-China final on home soil.
"We're very happy to win this gold medal. We have put in a lot over the last three years working for this win, from our coaches to our support staff in every area," said 23-year-old Sun, who had won the women's team gold and singles silver at Tokyo 2020.
"We had never played our opponents before, so this match required a lot more effort in terms of preparation," said Sun, adding that both sides put up a very good fight.
Wang, a 24-year-old Olympic debutant, said his win was the realisation of a long-held dream. "This mixed doubles event is probably the medal I wanted the most. I have to thank everyone around us who contributed to this win. This gold is not just ours, but it's also the entire team's."
"Winning this mixed doubles gold does feel like a rock has been lifted from our shoulders. But there are still many more rocks, and I hope we'll be able to successfully defend the other titles," he added.
The bronze medal was taken by South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin who beat Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong, China 4-0.
"We left everything out there, we did everything we could," said 32-year-old Wong after the match. "Our opponents didn't make many mistakes today."
Wong's opinion was echoed by his partner Doo. "In terms of strategy, our opponents really limited what we could do today," said the 27-year-old, adding that "we needed to play unbelievably to have a chance." ■
