SPORTS
China wins table tennis men`s team gold
Baku, August 9 (AZERTAC). China won the men`s table tennis team final against South Korea on Wednesday, making a clean sweep of gold medals for the second consecutive Olympics.
It was the 24th gold medal that China won at the Olympic table tennis competition since the sport was introduced at the 1988 Seoul Games.
Finishing second, South Korea won their first silver medal in a non-individual men`s event after winning five previous bronze medals.
Ma Long, world number two, fought off a strong challenge from South Korea`s Ryu Seung-Min, the Athens singles champion, and won the opening match 3-1 (11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 11-4).
Zhang Jike, the London Olympic singles gold medalist, got a slow start in the following match against South Korea`s Joo Sae-Hyuk. He dropped one game, but fought back quickly and won the match 3-1 (11-9, 5-11, 11-6, 11-8).
South Korean pair Oh Sang-Eun and Ryu fought gallantly in the doubles, but they failed to keep their match alive, losing 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-6) to China`s Zhang and Wang Hao, the London singles silver medalist.
Liu Guoliang, who has been at the helm of China`s men`s table tennis team for nearly 10 years, said the London Games has been the most exhausting experience because there has been more pressure than before.