Matapos manalo ng medalyang ginto, table tennis legend na si Ma Long, magpapaalam na sa Asian Games
China's Ma Long said he had played his last Asian Games / Ishara S. KODIKARA (AFP)
Sinabi ng table tennis legend na si Ma Long, na halos nagpaalam na siya sa Asian Games, matapos tulungan ang men’s team ng host na China na manalo ng ginto sa Hangzhou.
Perpekto ang naging “finale” ng five-time Olympic champion, dahil ang kaniyang straight-games victory laban kay Park Gang-hyeon ng South Korea na pang-anim na niyang Asian Games title, ay nagbigay ng Ginto para sa China.
Sinabi ng 34-anyos na pagkatapos nito ay hindi na siya sasabak sa individual events sa Hangzhou.
Ayon kay Ma na nagwagi na ng 12 world championship golds, “Being able to help the team together was for me a very good part of the mission here. Of course the competition is not over yet. There are still many matches my teammates will participate in.”
Sinabi pa niya, “I hope that if they need my help I can accompany them as a training partner including some pre-match preparations. We still have other competitions ahead after the Asian Games. I will continue to maintain a certain amount of training, but it is different than before and this could well be my last edition of the Asian Games.”
Nang tanungin tungkol sa posibilidad ng paglahok sa Paris Olympics sa susunod na taon, sinabi niya na masyado pang maaga para sabihin kung lalahok ba siya o hindi.
Aniya, “I’m not thinking so far ahead yet.”
