Profile | Who is Hugo Calderano, Brazilian table tennis star who finally beat the Chinese?
He left home at 14, won on World Tour at 17 and has been a pioneer for South America, winning Brazil President Lula’s praise
In 2022, Hugo Calderano vowed he would be “better than the Chinese” table tennis players – and, on Sunday, he was true to his word.
Ranked at world No 5 going into the tournament, Calderano won it the hard way as he overcame third-ranked Tomokazu Harimoto in the last eight and No 2 Wang Chuqin in the semis before beating Lin in the final.
Victory saw Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva extend his congratulations.
“Very pleased with the unprecedented feat achieved by Hugo Calderano in Macau, at the table tennis World Cup,” Lula wrote on social media. “In a tournament between 48 of the world’s best international players, the Brazilian became the first player from the Americas to reach the final and win the tournament by beating China’s Lin Shidong, the world No 1, this Easter Sunday.
“Fantastic work by a top-five-in-the-world athlete who, for almost 15 years, has been supported by the federal government’s athlete grant. Congratulations, Hugo Calderano. Immensely proud.”