Truls Möregårdh’s Olympic journey in table tennis continues after great success.
The Swede shocked world number one Wang Chuqin 4–2 (12–10, 11–7, 5–11,7–11, 11–9, 11–6).
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“You get completely weak in the knees”
At home in Sweden was his brother and trainer Malte Möregårdh. He says that there was a lot of emotion when the match ball was scored.
– You become completely weak in the knees and a lot of emotions come to the fore. Truls has had a difficult period in the last six months and has gone out a lot in the first rounds, because he has had to face top ten players directly in the tournaments, he says, and elaborates:
– So his confidence has been very, very low. And now it’s time for the Olympics. It is indescribable.
Waldner: “Enormously large”
Another who saw the match in Sweden is the country’s most successful table tennis player ever: Jan-Ove Waldner. He describes Möregårdh’s victory as huge.
– Beating a world number one at the Olympics is huge. It is one of the biggest wins at the Olympics of all years, by far. He is world number one, and you have to think about where Truls is (26 in the world ranking), says Waldner, and continues:
– Okay, my victory against Ma Lin (Olympic 2004, round of 16) was also quite impressive in that I was older, had lost ranking and he was world number two, but Truls beating world number one is even bigger.
– Then you have to think about history: He has won four sets in eight matches.
Is this the most impressive thing that has happened in Swedish table tennis since you won the WC in 1997 without losing a set?
– No, if he plays in the next match, it has no significance. He has to complete the attack, so to speak.
Truls Möregårdh meets Cheng-Jui Kao, Taiwan, in the round of 16. The match is played at 20.00, tonight.
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Watch some impressive duels and the match ball in the player above. Photo: Channel 5/Max