Photographer BREAKS Chinese Olympic star’s table tennis paddle while celebrating his gold medal… and then the unthinkable happens for the world No 1
- World No. 1 Wang Chuqin had his paddle broken by a photographer
- Incident occurred while he was celebrating his gold in doubles
- Then the unthinkable happened for the table tennis superstar
A Chinese table tennis player was visibly distraught after seeing his prized possession being destroyed by an over-enthusiastic photographer in Paris.
Wang Chuqin celebrated his first gold medal at the Olympic Games along with teammate Sun Yingsha after winning the mixed doubles event on Tuesday.
But his joy quickly turned to disbelief when he realised that his paddle, so vital to the team and individual events, had been destroyed by the snapper.
Wang was emotionally overcome by the incident and searched for an explanation, while his coach hugged and comforted him in an attempt to remain calm.
“They didn’t do it on purpose. Since it’s already happened, there’s not much I can do. I’ll try to play well with my spare paddle,” said a distraught Wang. “Maybe this is fate.”
Wang returned for the men’s singles event on Wednesday, but the world No. 1 suffered an unthinkable defeat to Sweden’s Truls Moregard, which saw him knocked out of the competition in the round of 16.
It was only the second time that Moregard defeated a Chinese opponent in an international competition.
However, Wang continued to insist that his defeat was not due to the paddling incident.
Wang Chuqin was devastated after his table tennis bat broke
The world number 1’s paddle was broken by photographers as he celebrated his gold medal
The defeated Chinese star then lost his singles match to Sweden’s Truls Moregard
“I think the main reason was my own bad performance, which gave Moregard more chances. I made a lot of mistakes, which gradually put me in a disadvantageous position,” Wang said.
His journey in Paris is not over yet, however, as he is due to compete in a team event on behalf of China later in the day.
Moregard was elated with his surprise victory and was seen shouting to the crowd and dancing on the floor.
“I’ve hardly ever won a set against Wang, so it’s crazy to win here. I think I played the tactical game very smart and I didn’t feel like he had his best day at the beginning,” Moregard said.