- Reuters
- , Friday July 25 2008
BEIJING, July 25 (Reuters) - Wang Hao will seek to ease his
Athens heartbreak with a gold medal in Beijing.
Ranked fourth four years ago, Wang eclipsed his Chinese team
mates to make it to the singles final, only to lose to South
Korea's Ryu Seung-min in a nervy match.
While Ryu's form has slipped since, Wang, 24, has got
stronger and stronger. Wang, who attacks with a fierce
backhand, has been the world's top-ranked player since
October.
At the World Team Cup last year, Wang exhibited an
unforgiving competitive streak that should stand him in good
stead in Beijing.
A native of Changchun in northeast China, Wang thrills
crowds with his precision at the table. Wang can go wide to
serve from his forehand, enticing his opponent to play to
his backhand, which he then returns down the line.
Wang began training at the age of nine, relatively late in
China, and scored a spot on the national team just six years
later.
He helped develop the Chinese penholder grip, which favours
backhand drives, and each time his opponents have begun to
get the hang of it, Wang has refined the technique.
The question hanging over Wang, despite his progress, is how
he will handle the weight of expectation when only a gold
will satisfy Chinese fans. (Reporting by Simon Rabinovitch;
editing by Robert Woodward)