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Martin Zhou

Name: Wang Hao
Date of birth: December 1, 1983, in Changchun, Jilin province

Entry for Beijing Games: Men's table tennis

Previous honours: Silver medal, 2004 Athens Olympics; Gold medal, 2006 Doha Asian Games; Champion, 2007 World Cup

Main rivals: Wang Liqin, Ma Lin,  Vladimir Samsonov, Timo Boll, Ryu Seung-min


The Chinese table tennis juggernaut swept all before it at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics, and much the same was expected at Athens. But things went awry  in the men's singles as established stars Wang Liqin and Ma Lin crashed out, leaving then 21-year-old Wang Hao to face South Korean Ryu Seung-min in the final.

Despite his role as a 'secondary' player in the Chinese team, Wang was still expected to beat Ryu. After all, in their seven encounters to date, Wang had triumphed every time.  However, Ryu  capitalised on tentative play from Wang to take the match 4-2. 

'I'm the only active Chinese player to have lost an Olympic final,' Wang joked in an interview with All Sports magazine. 'In that sense, I'm unique among the star-studded Chinese table tennis team.'

Wang has struggled to shake off the 'loser' tag even though he enters the Beijing Olympics as the top-ranked player in the world.

 In a country where table tennis dominance is taken for granted, it is quickly forgotten that Wang was an Olympic debutant at Athens, or that since then he was won gold at the Doha Asian Games and 2007 World Cup. His  opponent in both of those matches was Ryu.

 'It seems any discussion about me touches upon Ryu. But, honestly, it makes no sense to list my major rivals because I think the biggest obstacle I will face at the Olympics will be myself,' said Wang. 'I definitely want to be remembered for something more pleasant after the Beijing Games.'





No 43: Wang Hao