No gold for golden oldie Persson
BEIJING (Reuters) - Jorgen Persson's improbable quest for Olympic gold ended on Saturday when the Swede lost to China's Wang Hao in the men's singles table tennis semi-finals.
Persson, 42 and a father of three, scraped into the last Olympic qualification spot after ending his retirement and was competitive against the world number one by playing smart, economical table tennis.
In the end, Wang's power made the difference, with his spins too elusive and angles too sharp.
Wang won 11-9 11-9 9-11 11-7 11-9 and will meet compatriot Ma Lin in the final, guaranteeing that a Chinese man will take the gold and that every table tennis gold at the Beijing Games will have been won by the hosts.
Persson will have a chance for bronze later on Saturday, facing China's Wang Liqin.
Persson said his mission was to break through the "China wall" of dominance in their national sport.
"It's a hard wall to break but it's possible," he said. "I must now stay focused. I'm not satisfied with this."
Persson has played in all six Olympics since table tennis debuted in 1988. His previous best was fourth, when he made it to the semi-finals in 2000 at the tender age of 34.
On that occasion, he lost to Liu Guoliang, who sat on the sidelines on Saturday as China coach.
"Before the match, I joked that I should get back into playing again," Liu said.
"He's really one of the finest athletes and he proved his understanding of table tennis. We really respect having this kind of opponent."
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
