China achieves clean sweep of individual table tennis medals
BEIJING -- China's Ma Lin outlasted teammate Wang Hao to win the men's singles gold in Olympic table tennis.
It was a tense matchup between Ma, the second-ranked player in the world, and Wang, who's ranked first. The competition Saturday showcased dynamic play that ranged from soft pushes to high-speed volleys. Ma won with a score of 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9.
China swept all three medals in the singles event after Wang Liqin defeated Sweden's Jorgen Persson in the bronze-medal match earlier in the evening. Persson was the only athlete who could have stopped China from utterly dominating table tennis at the Beijing Games.
With Wang Liqin's win, China clinched all six individual table tennis medals. The Chinese men and women also won the team events.
Wang struggled in the first game against Persson but stormed back in the second on his way to sealing the win with a score of 13-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-9.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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