BEIJING -- Shock has spread through China, the "kingdom of table tennis," following its defeat by Japan in the mixed doubles on Monday.
"I can't take it in," player Liu Shiwen, 30, said somberly in an interview after the match. Teammate Xu Xin, 31, nodded in agreement, saying, "I couldn't achieve a good result in a match that fans across the nation were watching."
China has dominated the gold medals in table tennis for three consecutive Olympics, beginning with the 2008 Beijing Games. However, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday that "the momentum has suddenly stopped."
On Chinese social media sites, "silver medal in mixed doubles" became the top-trending term. Many fans could not accept the defeat, and some accused Jun Mizutani of Japan of blowing on the ball.
Blowing on the ball is prohibited at the Tokyo Games, as a measure against the novel coronavirus.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
