Brilliant Croatian liftsEurope
Tamara Boros
Croatian Tamara Boros returns a shot from her opponent US Chang Jun Gao in theqquarter-finals at the 47th Table Tennis world championships held at the Bercy Hall in Paris and wins.
Malaysian News : Sports
Brilliant Boros lifts Europe after Samsonov crashes out
May 24 , 2003 19:22PM
Croat Tamara Boros returns a shot from her opponent US Chang Jun Gao in the qquarter-finals at the 47th Table Tennis world championships held at the Bercy Hall in Paris
PARIS (AFP) - Tamara Boros provided Europe with a timely tonic as a wave ofChinese players threatened to swamp the table tennis world championship finalsas they headed towards their climax.
Tamara Boros provided Europe with a timely tonic as a wave ofChinese players threatened to swamp the table tennis world championship finalsas they headed towards their climax.
Boros, from Croatia, was celebrating becoming only the fourth European in threedecades to make the women's singles semi-finals.
Her mammoth 4-3 quarter-final win over China's American export Chang Jun Gao wasthe high point for Europe on a day that spelled the end for Vladamir Samsonov,the host continent's trump card for men's singles honours.
The giant Belarus was stopped by Greece's Kalinikos Kreanga. Samsonov's exitcame as China collected their first gold medal in the mixed doubles and four oftheir men made it through to the singles' quarter-finals.
They are guaranteed gold in an all China men's doubles final.
The sport's superpower is also three handed in the women's semis, with Boros,the number five seed with the trademark service that floats into the rafters,due to meet reigning champion Wang Nan early Saturday.
"It's been my dream to win a medal at the world championships, now I've gotmy chance," she said, her voice quivering with emotion.
"It's not so usual to have a European in the last four of a worldchampionships, I want to enjoy the moment," she added.
Boros, who has left her poor form in the run up to Bercy well and truly behindher this week, said of Wang Nan "She's world champion, Olympic champion,everything champion! "But it's always been close when I've playedher."
Having seen off European champion Otilia Bodescu Boros was heading off for awell earned sleep, hopefully not disrupted by the sobering thought that the lasttime Europe struck gold in the women's singles was back in 1955.
Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/B2002/news_sports.shtml?sports/sp240503_201
