Zhendong Fan of China in action during his gold medal match against Truls Moregard of Sweden.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Paris: China's Fan Zhendong beat Sweden's Truls Moregard in the Olympic men's table tennis singles final on Sunday to make up for the gold he missed out on three years ago in Tokyo.
Fan's 4-1 victory adds to China's gold-medal sweep in the sport so far at the Paris Olympics, following his teammates' triumphs in the women's singles and mixed doubles.
The nail-biting final seemed like it could go either way in the first three games. Moregard was proactive in his attacks from the beginning, consistently landing the ball at tricky angles that prevented Fan from using his forceful forehand.
World champion Fan, determined to contribute to China's gold dominance and win the title he lost to teammate Ma Long in Tokyo, lost the first game 11-7 but held his ground in the second and third games, winning both 11-9.
"He put a lot of pressure on me," Fan said of Moregard. "Had I had one bad serve, today's outcome could be different.
"I can see I've grown and progressed with the confidence to deal with a situation like this," added Fan, whose coach Wang Hao, twice an Olympic silver medallist himself, lifted him up high in celebration after the win.
Moregard, who came to Paris thinking his journey would finish in the second round but ended up being the runner-up, became the first Swede to get on to the Olympic podium since 2000, having knocked out Fan's teammate and world number one Wang Chuqin.
"He's just really showed he's the best player in the tournament", Moregard said of Fan.
Fan, arguably possessing the best backhand in the world, faced a resilient Moregard who played with good variety. However, the Swede's inconsistent use of the chop block cost him valuable points and he lost the last two games 11-8.
In the bronze match, 17-year-old Lebrun beat Brazilian Hugo Calderano to win France's first table tennis medal since 2000 to delight the home nation.
He avenged the defeat suffered by his older brother, Alexis, who lost in the round of 16 to Calderano, by winning 4-0.
"It's incredible, this is the first time that I cry for joy. Normally, I'm not very emotional but it's true that it's a dream since I was a little boy. It's a moment I will remember my whole life," said Lebrun, who danced in celebration with his brother and teammates.