RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In another Chinese duel, Ding Ning ended up with Olympic gold.
Ding beat teammate Li Xiaoxia in the women's table tennis final on Wednesday, reversing the result from four years ago.
When the 26-year-old Ding lost to Li in the final at the 2012 London Games, she broke down in tears. In Rio de Janeiro, there were tears again as she dropped to her knees in celebration.
The tense match, which came down to a deciding seventh game, was filled with long rallies, lighting quick smashes, looping topspin forehands and stretching defensive saves — all signs that these two players have spent many, many hours playing together over the years.