Li Jiao will not defend her crown in the Women’s Singles event in
St. Petersburg, Russia at the LIEBHERR European Table Tennis
Championships 2008.
After the team final the player and the
staff of the Dutch Table Tennis Association (NTTB) decided that she
will leave the event early because of exhaustion. On Tuesday the Dutch
team clinched the gold medal in the Women’s Team event.
Exhausted after the Team Final
After
the hard fight against the Russian team in the group matches (3-2) her
physical complaints increased. "For me it was very important to be
there for the team during the tournament", stated Li Jiao. "It was our
goal to win the European Championships together."
"I don’t
sleep well the last couple of weeks and that affects my mental game
during the matches. For me that’s a really important part of the table
tennis game. The Team event is less intense compared to the Singles or
Doubles events. After the final against Hungary I was completely
exhausted", reacted the Dutch player.
Too many Events
The
final decision not to compete in both the Women’s Singles and the
Doubles (with Liu Jia from Austria) was made just before the start of
those events. "I know with my experience that it would be the wrong
decision to compete. I’m really disappointed. Of course I wanted to
defend my title."
Not only for Li Jiao was it a disappointing
decision. The technical staff of the NTTB supports it fully. "The table
tennis agenda consists of too many events and league matches. We feel,
and many other countries do so, that something has to change if we take
our sport seriously. Li Jiao is not the only one who withdrew during
the event", said head coach Pieke Franssen.
Source: www.ittf.com
