China overlooks top-ranked Liu Shiwen for Rio Games ticket
Women’s world number one pays price for shock defeat by Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi-kem at the Asian qualifying tournament in April
China have slammed the Olympic door shut on women’s table tennis world number one Liu Shiwen, saying she is too inconsistent for the Rio Games.
The 25-year-old paid the price for a shock defeat at the Asian qualifying tournament in April, when she was stunned by Hong Kong teenager Doo Hoi-kem.
Selecting Ding Ning was primarily because of her stability
Olympic title-holder Li Xiaoxia will defend her women’s singles title, while world champion Ding Ning beat Liu to the second spot in China’s team.
The snub means that Liu will have to watch from afar as dominant China seek their third straight clean sweep at the Olympics in August.
“The defeat in the Asian regional qualifier was a pity for me,” she told Xinhua news agency.
“Of course, it’s not that by winning the [qualifying] title I would definitely be able to participate, but if I had played a bit better, the possibility of participating would have been even greater.”