China’s 24-year-old table tennis player Wang Chuqin was overjoyed on Tuesday after securing his first Olympic gold medal alongside teammate Sun Yingsha.
His elation soon turned to disbelief, anger and frustration when he discovered that his new paddle — crucial for his singles and team events — had been damaged by excited photographers rushing to capture the moment.
Visibly upset, Wang tried to ask for an explanation. His coach tried to hug him in an effort to console him and ask him to stay calm.
Photo: Reuters
Wang soon regained his composure despite the setback.
“At that moment, I lost control of my emotions a little. I couldn’t understand why the photographers would do that,” Wang said, still visibly affected by the incident.
“I couldn’t understand why the photographers would do that. I guess they didn’t mean it,” he said. “I can’t do anything now that it’s already happened. I believe I’ll still be able to play well with my backup bat. Maybe this is fate.”
The incident happened when Wang briefly put his paddle aside to raise the Chinese flag in celebration, reporters at the scene said.
Wang and his partner Sun, who have now claimed the mixed doubles gold medal that China missed out on in Tokyo, are among the most popular athletes in China.
Many fans expressed anger toward the photographers on social media.
With little time to celebrate their victory, Wang yesterday had to play Sweden’s Truls Moregard in the men’s singles round of 32.
Wang the top seed lost 4-2, setting up 19th seed Moregard for a round-of-16 match against Taiwan’s Kao Cheng-jui.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with AFP
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