Paul Drinkhall believes mental errors cost him dearly as his remarkable run in the table tennis men’s singles event at Tokyo 2020 came to an end.
Despite only being a late replacement in the draw when Vladimir Samsonov withdrew through injury shortly before the Games, Middlesbrough’s Drinkhall battled his way through two rounds at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym – including a second-round triumph over Robert Gardos, a man ranked 33 places above him in the world.
An even bigger shock looked on the cards when he took the first game from ninth seed Jang Woo-jin in round three on Monday but the Korean fought back to triumph 11-7, 10-12, 8-11, 8-11, 7-11.
Drinkhall felt he wasn’t outclassed by his highly-rated opponent but claims some slips in concentration were punished by the talented 25-year-old.
“I’m disappointed, not necessarily with the performance, because I played well and have been playing well, I just think I had a couple of lapses in concentration,” explained the Brit, whose memorable run in Japan was broadcast live on Eurosport and Discovery+ .
“They weren’t major but against someone of that level, one little lapse and all of a sudden you’ve lost five points in a row.
“There were a couple of times in that game that happened, I was leading 5-1 or 9-7, there’s then one slight change and you come off the boil and he took advantage of that.
“That’s the disappointing side of it. Overall, with the playing side of the performance I’m very happy, it’s just the mental side of the game.”
Drinkhall’s experience in Tokyo means he’s now a three-time Olympian – having also competed at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
At 31 years old, and with the next Games just three years away given the 12-month delay to this summer’s event, the Teesider doesn’t want to stop there.
“It was great going to the first Olympic Games and then the second and third, that’s great but it would be nice to be more than a three-time Olympian,” he mused.
“It’s a fantastic achievement and I’m very proud of that - hopefully there’ll be more.
“I think my game is getting better and better. I’m learning a lot more things and taking a lot more on board, my mental side of the game is improving a lot more.
“Overall, in the last couple of years, my performances were getting better and better. Paris is only three years away so I’ve just got to keep going in that direction.”
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