CHINA’S World No1 table tennis star had his bat BROKEN by a photographer – as he went from doubles delight to double despair.
Wang Chuqin won the Olympics mixed doubles with Sun Yingsha – before his main paddle was snapped and he suffered a shock early exit in the singles.
Sweden’s Truls Moregard had never beaten the 24-year-old until this “crazy” last-32 success at the Paris Games.
But Wang refused to blame defeat on the surprise demise of his bat.
Nonetheless, it was a remarkable turn of events – and fortune.
After picking up mixed gold, Wang beamed as he took a selfie with team-mate Sun, alongside the North Korean runners-up and South Korea’s bronze medallists.
But he then saw his prized piece of equipment accidentally written off by a snapper who was reportedly jostling for a better position.
Wang looked distraught to lose his bat of choice.
Table tennis players, much like darts stars, are sensitive to any tiny change – even if the replacement bat, rubbers or arrows are exactly the same model and weight.
Wang tried to find out what had happened – while his coach hugged him and managed to calm him down.
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The left-hander said at the time: “They didn’t do it on purpose.
“Since it already happened, there is nothing much I can do about it. I will try to play well with my backup paddle. Maybe this is fate.”
However, Wang was out of sorts and soon out of the competition.
He responded: “I think the main reason was my own poor performance, which gave Moregard more opportunities.
“I made a lot of mistakes, which gradually put me in a disadvantageous position.”
Despite his woe in the individual event, Wang will still expect to help China win the team gold.
As for Moregard, he reacted to achieving by far the greatest result of his career by dancing as well as yelling to the crowd.
He said: “I have almost never taken a set against Wang, so it’s crazy to win here.
“I think how I played in the tactical game was really clever, and I didn’t feel that he had his best day at the beginning.”
