Ma Lin completes golden sweep

China swept all table tennis golds as world No 2 Ma Lin routed compatriot Wang Hao in five games to win the coveted¹ men's singles gold Saturday.

Wang, the world No 1, had to settle for silver for the second straight time, having lost to Ryu Seung-min of South Korea in the 2004 Athens Games.

"The most important thing is that China won the gold," said Ma. "Tonight's match underlines China's power in table tennis. My goal at the Games was not to lose to overseas players, and now I'm happy and a little surprised that I won the gold."

China's Wang Hao plays against his compatriot Ma Lin in the men's singles table tennis final match at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 23, 2008. Ma defeated his compatriot Wang 4-1 to wIn the gold medal.

Ma, a two-time World Championships runner-up, was in imperious form with his aggressive play, leaving long-time rival³ Wang little chance to fight back.

He took the match 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7 and 11-9.

After winning the match, Ma  wept into his towel for several minutes.

"I am too emotional⁴ to speak," he said. "My years of hard work paid off at this moment. A lot of people said I couldn't win a major title because I always lost in big occasions⁵. Now that I won the gold, this is a great beginning for me.

"Wang knows me pretty well, so I tried to change on my tactics⁶ and bother him with different spins. He is a great player as well, but I am the lucky boy tonight."

Wang could only sit dejectedly at the courtside, as Ma ran a victory lap around the stadium, the fans loudly chanting the victor's name.

China sealed the medal sweep earlier Saturday when Wang Liqin beat Swedish veteran⁷ Jorgen Persson in a lopsided contest for the bronze.

Wang Liqin, 30, the "big brother" of Chinese table tennis in his third Olympics, was sluggish⁸ at the start, but full-throated cheers from fans carried him through a tense first game.

From then on, it was one-way traffic as he trounced Persson 13-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-9.

The Chinese women also took all three singles medals on Friday. Both the men's and women's team also won golds.

There had been a huge weight of expectations on these players to deliver in what is China's national sport. Indeed, some wondered before the Games whether they would buckle⁹ under the pressure.

"This is a perfect Olympics for us," said national team coach Liu Guoliang. "I am proud of my players as they overcome huge pressure to achieve the feat².

"Winning all golds is a tough job for us, even though fans may think it is very easy. We have been besieged¹⁰ by the whole world for many years. All the overseas players know how we play and they have been researching on methods to beat us."