For two years Wang Hao would wake up in the middle of the night,
feeling utterly alone.
The 23-year-old table tennis star was troubled by a recurring
nightmare - losing to South Korean rival Rye Seung-min in front of
a packed arena near the faraway Aegean Sea.
The match was the men's singles final at the 2004 Athens Olympic
Games, and the 5-1 thrashing he endured threatened to cast a shadow
over the rest of his career.
Three years on, however, and Wang is sleeping sound. He has
finally beaten his rival Rye, and is looking well positioned to go
for gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"That summer made me a man," Wang told Table Tennis World
magazine. "I called my mother six times that night, I cried many
times. I lost my confidence and kept on blaming myself for the
loss. I cannot believe I conquered the nightmare.
"But now I am more mature, and I'm hungrier for victory. I feel
I am tougher than ever before."
The turning point for Wang came in December last year, when he
swept the highly-competitive Doha Asian Games and International
Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pro Tour Finals.
He took revenge on Rye in Doha, where he beat him in both
singles and the team competition.
"I really needed the success at the Asian Games, it was a dream
come true. But I have a bigger dream - to play at my top level at
the Beijing Games. That's my ultimate goal," Wang was quoted as
saying on Sina.com earlier this month.
"(December) was a new beginning for me, and it ended my dark
days that followed the Athens defeat."
Despite being one of the world's top table tennis players, Wang
Hao was written off by many in China after Athens because of his
supposed weak mentality.
He failed to win a major event for two years, losing to teammate
Wang Liqin at the National Games finals in 2005 and then bowing to
Ma Lin at the World Cup last year.
"I didn't know what I was going to do after the Athens Games,"
he was quoted as saying on Sina.com. "There was a lot of pressure
and criticism. I think it was my family who helped me stay on
track."
Wang said his 2006 success taught him how to win again.
"The latest victories helped me realize that I can win big
tournaments. I don't want to reach the finals and only finish
runner-up. I don't want to be a No 2. I now know I should be calm
and positive," he was quoted as saying by Titan Sports in
January.
Wang's father Wang Zhongquan believes his son has every chance
of winning gold in Beijing.
"I was overwhelmed watching him play at the Asian Games," he
told Table Tennis World.
"He has stepped out of the Athens shadow and has become a great
man with great motivation. I am confident that he is able to stand
on top of the podium at the Beijing Olympics."
However, national team head coach Liu Guoliang believes Wang Hao
still needs to be more aggressive.
"You have to be dare to think big and that's Wang Hao's
problem," Liu, a former world champion, told Table Tennis World.
"Sometimes he is too modest. It seems he doesn't have the desire to
be world No 1 or beat Wang Liqin. He has too many runner-up
trophies."
Wang Hao will vie for the three places on the men's Olympic team
with Wang Liqin, Ma Lin, Hao Shuai, Chen Qi and Ma Long.
(China Daily March 1, 2007)