Surprises abounded over the four days of play at the Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha but when matters concluded on Sunday 13th May 2012, it was the top seeds who emerged as champions. Portugal’s Tiago APOLONIA won the Men’,
Surprises abounded over the four days of play at the Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha but when matters concluded on Sunday 13th May 2012, it was the top seeds who emerged as champions.
Portugal’s Tiago APOLONIA won the Men’s Singles title, securing victory in the battle of the Iberian Peninsula by beating Spain’s Carlos MACHADO in the final. Meanwhile, in the counterpart Women’s Singles gold medal contest, it was success for Sweden’s Matilda EKHOLM; she overcame the Czech Republic’s Dana HADACOVA to reserve the top step of the medal podium.
Gold and silver respectively for Tiago APOLONIA and Carlos MACHADO who can anticipate July in London; as can those who filled the next eight places in the Men’s Singles event in Doha.
Subject to ratification, Oleksandr DIDUKH (Ukraine), WANG Zeng Yi (Poland), Andrej GACINA (Croatia), Bora VANG (Turkey), Allan BENTSEN (Denmark), Mihai BOBOCICA (Italy), Yaroslav Zhmudenko (Ukraine) and Matiss BURGIS (Latvia) can expects letters of invitation for the 2012 Olympic Games. Notably Matiss BURGISS is the first ever table tennis player from Latvia to qualify for the Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, for women a minimum eight have potentially reserved places as a result of their efforts in Doha. Next in line to Matilda EKHOLM and Dana HADACOVA comes Spain’s Sara RAMIREZ and Galia DVORAK, followed by the Russian pairing of Anna TIKHOMIROVA and Yana NOSKOVA, with Hong Kong’s LEE Ho Ching and Portugal’s Lei HUANG MENDES completing the last available places.
All potential qualifiers from Doha have to be officially ratified and their participation confirmed by their respective National Olympic Committees.
(by Ian MARSHALL, courtesy ITTF)
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Photo: Matild EKHOLM (Photo Lomaev)
