Chinese media are already predicting who will represent the country for the table tennis event in next year's Olympics, but the paddlers themselves say they are only concentrating on their next match.
Wang Liqin of China watches the ball during the men's singles semifinals in the International Table Tennis Federations (ITTF) Pro Tour Grand Finals in the Peking University Gymnasium, December 16, 2007. Wang lost 1-4 to his teammate Wang Hao. [Xinhua] |
The forecasts came following the conclusion of
the four-day International Table Tennis Federations (ITTF) Pro Tour Grand Finals in the Peking University Gymnasium, December 16, 2007.
According to ITTF, the results of the Finals will have more weight in the January rankings. And the world's top 20 players in the new rankings will automatically qualify for the Beijing Olympics. The rule is that no more than two players from the same association will get berths.
This leads to certain guesses. Websites like sina.com and sohu.com say players like Wang Liqin and Wang Nan would fail to automatically secure an Olympic berth after watching their performances in the Finals.
Yet the top seeds say they are unconcerned by the media's predictions.
"What I care most is not tournament points but how to play well in each game ahead of the Olympics," said Ma Lin, the newly-crowned men's singles champion Sunday in Peking University Gymnasium, the table tennis venue for next year's Olympic Games.
"If I think too much about the rankings or Olympic berth, my performance on court would be affected," explained Ma, the current singles world number two.
The competition for the two coveted spots has become tougher for Chinese paddlers as the Chinese team swept all the gold medals at the Finals, which means China will continue leading the top five rankings in both men's and women's singles.
Of the four finals three involved Chinese players. The only pressure from non-Chinese players was South Korean women's doubles Kim Kyung-Ah and Park Mi-Young, who lost 3-11, 7-11, 11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 13- 15 to Chinese teens Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia.
The men's singles final saw top seed Ma Lin outplaying world No 1 Wang Hao 12-10, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9.
The women's singles final between world No 3 Guo and No 4 Li was a rematch since the World Championships in May. But this time Li claimed the title in a battle of China's emerging table tennis stars.
Li's comeback gives her an edge for an Olympic berth, dimming veteran Wang Nan's roster hopes. Wang, currently ranked No 2, was eliminated in the quarterfinals after she lost 2-4 to world No 5 Guo Yan.
Yet all the players don't care much about the upcoming ITTF rankings or the lineup for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
"I've never had plans further than thinking about each game ahead of Olympics," said world No 3 Wang Liqin, who was ousted in the semifinals.
"If I don't automatically make it into the Olympics it wouldn't be bad news for me," explained the three-time World champion. "The struggle for the third spot in next year's qualifying matches will give me more opportunities to improve my techniques."
Li Xiaoxia agrees. "As an athlete, I'd rather focus my attentions on matches than rankings," she said. "How I'm preparing for 2008 is to play in good form for each game. I don't think much about the Olympic roster."
