Tearful! Sun Yingsha's first talk about losing the Olympic women's singles: Not wanting to return to the Olympic Village, three bigwigs of the national table tennis team comfort her
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The year 2024, which has already passed, was an Olympic year, and for most athletes, whether or not they can fulfill their Olympic dreams is the biggest goal.
Table tennis, known as the "national ball," is no exception. Although the World Championships are generally considered to have the highest value, the World Cup is also important, but only winning an Olympic gold medal is the ultimate goal for players.
In the women's singles final of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sun Yingsha, then ranked world No. 1, faced Chen Meng across the net. This was the second consecutive time the two had met in the women's singles final, and the result was once again Chen Meng who emerged victorious, becoming the third woman player after Deng Yaping and Zhang Yining to successfully defend her Olympic women's singles title.
Sun Yingsha, on the other hand, missed out on the championship with great regret once again.
In fact, for the national table tennis players, choosing who wins the championship is a difficult decision, akin to choosing between the palm of your hand and the back of it.
Many fans still vividly remember that final when it is mentioned.
Originally, according to the comprehensive strength comparison between the two sides, Sun Yingsha, who had undergone a complete transformation, was the more favored one. However, in the final, Chen Meng's strategy of changing from backhand to straight line proved very effective, suppressing Sun Yingsha's performance on the court, forcing her to swallow the bitter fruit of losing two consecutive finals.
Half a year later, Sun Yingsha finally talked about that final in an exclusive interview with Table Tennis World magazine.
When asked if she had re-watched the video recording of the women's singles final, Sun Yingsha frankly admitted that she had not reviewed it.
As for the reason, Sun Yingsha told reporters:
"Really not yet, because I want to let myself be empty for a while now."
This shows that although Sun Yingsha is strong and optimistic, the blow of losing the Olympic final is still significant.
When talking about the reasons for losing the final, Sun Yingsha bluntly stated that Chen Meng's performance in the final was better than expected, her preparation, her performance on the court, and the connection between each shot were all better than herself.
Sun Yingsha said that although she won more matches against Chen Meng during the Olympics, it was actually just a difference of a few points. But in the Olympic final, Chen Meng was calmer than herself, so the previous difference of a few points was made up.
Losing the women's singles final is a huge blow to any player, let alone Sun Yingsha, who has unfortunately lost twice in a row.
Many fans are very interested in what Sun Yingsha did after losing, and Sun Yingsha also answered this question for the first time.
On the night after the women's singles final, Sun Yingsha said she was in a bad mood and did not return to the Olympic Village, but instead wandered outside with Qiu Yike, chatting.
Sun Yingsha said:
"Because both he (Qiu Yike) and I were in a bad mood, but I really don't remember what we talked about specifically, my mind was blank. I felt quite depressed, and we thought that if we returned to the Olympic Village, it would be even more unbearable..."
Seeing Sha Sha's reaction after the final, many fans must feel sad and regretful.
Many fans know that at the Paris Olympics, Sun Yingsha took on multiple roles, including women's singles, mixed doubles, and team events.
Even more cruelly, there was only one day of adjustment time after the women's singles final before facing the challenge of the team event.
So, how did Sun Yingsha manage to come out strong and help her team win the team gold medal after being hit hard by losing the women's singles final?
"I need to adjust and start anew. During this period, Chairman Liu, Teacher Qin (Qin Zhichuo), Li Zhi (Li Sun), and Coach Qiu have been encouraging me. I know that I must persevere because this is a match for the country. The principle of this issue and the responsibility on my own shoulders, I actually understand very clearly, but when you are in it, it is quite difficult to 'jump' out in just one day..."
What do you think about this?