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Ping-pong king Kong hardened by failure
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-11 10:49 Former Olympic and world champion Kong Linghui was philosophical after failing in his bid to be named head coach of China's women's table tennis team earlier this week. "It's normal (to lose). Where there is competition, there is always a loser," said Kong, who shocked the public by declaring his candidacy for the coveted post late last month.
Kong was appointed assistant coach shortly after retiring in 2006 but is still considered young and inexperienced compared to Shi Zhihao, who was re-appointed on Monday. Liu Guoliang, Kong's former doubles partner, also keeps his job as head coach of the men's side as no one ran against him, the Table Tennis and Badminton Administrative Center (TTBAC) of China announced on Monday. Both men's contracts run until the end of 2012 London Games. Shi steered China to a gold medal in the doubles tournament at the Beijing Games in August with Kong's help. The TTBAC vote suggests it did not want to risk jeopardizing this winning partnership with a reshuffle. The election battle nonetheless stirred nationwide speculation as to who would come out on top. Although the 49-year-old Shi appeared the favorite with his convincing coaching record, Kong won much support from fans and media because of his glittering career as an athlete. "I take (the loss) as a new experience and a motivator to improve," said Kong, who joins Sweden's Jan-Ove Waldner and Liu Guoliang as the only three players to win Olympic, World Championship and World Cup titles. Kong flew to Hong Kong yesterday with the women's team to take part in the ITTF Pro Tour final. China Daily |
