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By sportswriter Zhou Xiaozheng กก
ATHENS, Aug. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Top-ranked paddler Zhang Yining awarded China its 100th gold at the Summer Olympics as she beat DPR Korean Kim Hyang Mi in
four straight sets here Sunday to win the women's singles table tennis title at
the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
This was the 20th gold for the Chinese Olympic delegation in Athens, and
also the 100th Summer Olympic gold for the Asian sports powerhouse in just 20
years. China made its Olympic debut in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
"Really? I know nothing about that," said Zhang while she was told the
100th gold thing on her way to the athletes' change room.
"When I shook hands with my opponent before the start of the match, I felt her
hand was ice cold. So I think she must be extremely nervous and I feel more sure
about the match," said Zhang while she was escorted to the change room to prepare
for the awarding ceremony.
She will appear again at a regular press conference for the medal winners
shortly.
After a tough beginning in the first two games, Zhang completely overwhelmed
her tenacious opponent both technically and mentally as she took the
last two games with an identical score of11-2.
Zhang jumped to an early lead 7-4 in the first game but only let the DPR
Korean catch up to a 7-7 draw and overtook the lead 8-7. But Zhang showed no
panic and took the next four points in a row to win 11-8.
The second game found Zhang trailing 0-4 at first, but she started to
strike back hard from 6-7 and took five points in a rowto win 11-7.
Scores for the four games were 11-8, 11-7, 11-2 and 11-2 as thematch lasted
just about 25 minutes.
Zhang, who always appeared shy and timid, surprisingly threw several kisses
at the spectators after her victory. Raising both arms highly with clenched
fists, she even didn't notice her racketdropping onto the floor.
With the singles title, Zhang has become another Olympic doublechampion
with both singles and doubles gold medals in the star-studded Chinese table
tennis team, like her predecessors Deng Yaping and Wang Nan did in Barcelona
1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney2000.
The women's singles gold also made the all-mighty China just one step away
from another clean sweep of all four table tennis titles in the Olympic
tournament. China has bagged all eight table tennis golds at the previous two
Olympic Games.
It is up to Wang Hao, a young paddler now ranked 4th in the world, to
accomplish China's ambitious goal in Athens, as he will take on South Korean
paddler Ryu Seung Min in the men's singles final scheduled for Monday afternoon
(Athens time). Enditem | 
