Truls Möregårdh has knocked out the Chinese world number one in the Olympics.
But now the icon Ulf “Tickan” Carlsson is on a rampage.
– I get really annoyed when I hear this, he says in Radiosporten.
To say that Truls Möregårdh was doomed in the second round of the Olympic table tennis singles tournament would have been an understatement. The Chinese world number one Wang Chuqin has almost twice as many world ranking points as the number two on the list, and in eight previous meetings against the Swede he had won all eight.
The detail that upsets
The fact is that during eight matches, Truls Möregårdh only took four sets from the Chinese, and before the match it was hardly playable on the odds pages that Chuqin would win. But Truls Möregårdh started the match brilliantly, won the first two sets, and was finally able to defeat the world number one 4-2 in sets. After the huge scandal, tributes to Möregårdh have poured in, but there is also a reason for some irritation.
The match between the Swede and Wang Chuqin was supposed to be played earlier in the week, but as the Chinese played a mixed doubles tournament during the Olympics, it had to be postponed until Wednesday morning. Möregårdh hovered for a long time in uncertainty about when the match would even be played – and after the giant shock was completed, it was only hours before the next match. Already this evening, the same day as the sensation, the next round will be played, in order to catch up with the tight schedule.
“I get really annoyed”
Swedish table tennis icon Ulf “Tickan” Carlsson was furious when he found out.
– I don’t really understand what they are doing, I get really annoyed when I hear this. I mean, it has to be the same conditions for all players. I get really annoyed by this, he says in Radiosporten, according to Expressen.
Radiosport’s commentator Patric Ljunggren called the whole thing a “scandal”.
– Strange for Truls to wait three days for their match and then play two matches on the same day. The Chinese player, he wasn’t allowed to play two games a day. But Truls are forced to do it. If it turns out like that, then you feel it’s a scandal, says Ljunggren.
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