Paris Olympic 2024: China retain men’s team table tennis gold

PARIS: China successfully defended its Olympic men’s team title after beating Sweden in three nail-biting matches on Friday as Ma Long cemented his status as one of his country’s top athletes.

Ma, already the most successful Olympic table tennis player, became the most decorated Olympian in China’s history with six gold medals.

Although the Chinese overcame Sweden 3-0, each match was a five-game thriller as the seventh-seeded Swedes pushed them all the way.

Both Sweden and France celebrated their ever medals in the table tennis team event, also marking the first time two European nations have stood on the podium.

In a repeat of the men’s singles final, Sweden’s Truls Moregard put up a strong fight against gold medallist Fan Zhendong.

Moregard, who lost 4-1 to Fan in the singles, played a smarter game with wide angles and handled Fan’s powerful backhand better, winning the second and fourth sets.

Fan dominated the crucial points, however, and he took the deciding game 11-5.

Earlier, French teenager Felix Lebrun, who made history by winning the first bronze in table tennis singles for France since 2000, added another bronze to the host nation’s delight. Agencies

Also Read: Paris Olympics: India’s table tennis campaign ends with women’s quarterfinal loss

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