Korat,Thailand - In the end it was total dominance.
Seven golds out of seven, perfection achieved, as Singapore`s crack table tennis team tasted a new high at the 24th SEA Games in Korat, Thailand on Monday.
First, Wang Yuegu took gold with a comprehensive win over Malaysia`s Ng Sock Khim in the women`s singles final, storming to a 4-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4) triumph.
Gao Ning then took centrestage at the Klang Plaza Jomsurang Event Hall, in a face-off with Vietnam`s Nguyen Nam Hai for the men`s singles gold.
The Vietnamese stood no chance in the final table tennis event of the Games, as the hungry Gao blitzed him 4-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9) to become the first Singapore man to win singles gold since the 1999 Games in Brunei.
It ensured a clean sweep for the Singapore team in table tennis — their best-ever performance at a SEA Games.
It is also possibly the first time a country has made a clean sweep of all the events in a single sport at the SEA Games.
There was delight all round, but amidst the celebrations, national coach Liu Guodong was already looking ahead to next year`s Beijing Olympics.
"The standard at the SEA Games may be lower, but it wasn`t easy, especially as the players have been through about 18 Pro Tour events and other matches this year," he said.
"It has been gruelling.
"But the SEA Games is crucial in our preparations for the Olympics. The priority now is how to nab that Olympic medal next year."
Retired star Jing Junhong, a multiple Games gold medallist and now a member of the Singapore Sports Council secretariat here in Korat, feels the squad can only get better.
"It`s really wonderful to see them achieve the clean sweep, something my generation did not," said Jing.
"They just have to keep working hard and there`s no reason why they can`t get better."
While Gao had a relatively smooth 4-1 win over Thailand`s Sanguansin Phuchong in his semi-final earlier in the day, Wang`s semi-final against Thailand`s No 1 female paddler Nanthana Komwong was a nerve-wracking affair.
Nanthana stormed into a 2-0 lead as a clearly-rattled Wang failed to muster any rhythm to her game.
However, Wang dug deep in the crucial third set and won it 11-9 and from then on, there was only going to be one winner as Nanthana wilted for the Singaporean to romp home 4-2.
Both finals were straightforward affairs.
Wang coasted to a 4-0 win over Ng, who had shocked Singapore`s world No 6 Li Jiawei 3-2 in an earlier group match to book her spot in the last four.
"The first two sets were a little frustrating," said Wang, 27.
"There wasn`t anything wrong with my game, except that my opponent made some tactical changes to her game and I had a few problems adapting to it.
"I told myself to press on, made some changes to my own game and it worked."
Gao`s classy show in the final belied his start to the Games, when he was a bundle of nerves.
He said he took a week to adapt to the noisy conditions at the event hall venue.
"Initially, I was affected by all the noise and the close proximity of the fans," said the 25-year-old.
"But as the competition wore on, I got used to it and was able to play my usual game. I felt a lot more relaxed out there today and months of preparation just fell into place."
Under the Singapore National Olympic Council`s Multi-million dollar Award Programme, both Gao and Wang will receive $10,000 for their respective singles` titles.
But a big party is out of the question.
"We`ve still got a competition later this week in China," said Gao, who along with Li, Sun Beibei, Yang Zi and Wang, will travel to Beijing tomorrow for the Pro Tour Grand Finals.
Wang just just wanted to sleep.
"We`ve not slept much here, so I need to go to sleep and rest really well," she said.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com (11 Desember 2007)