China's Feng Panfeng secured his 10th Paralympic table tennis gold, cementing his legacy with a swift victory over Germany's Thomas Schmidberger in the men's singles MS3 final in Parisa.
PARIS, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's para table tennis legend Feng Panfeng cemented his place in history on Thursday, claiming his 10th Paralympic gold medal by defeating Germany's Thomas Schmidberger in the men's singles MS3 final.
Feng, 34, had already secured the men's doubles and mixed doubles titles in Paris, adding to his impressive haul.
"Ten is a milestone," Feng remarked. "I didn't expect that to come. The men's doubles was the toughest one to win. I thought getting into the semifinals was already job done. In the previous competitions, we've never won a title (in men's doubles)."
Looking ahead, Feng acknowledged that his future opponents will be more attuned to his playing style. "I think my rivals will be more familiar with my techniques and style. I might face more challenges in the future," he said.
The final marked the third consecutive time that Feng has faced Schmidberger in a Paralympic MS3 gold medal match. Despite being rivals, the German spoke highly of Feng.
"He doesn't think he is somebody better than others; he is very fair and humble, very strong, very impressive," Schmidberger said. "He can be an idol for any sportsman."
Feng's win came in just 18 minutes, something that even surprised him.
"I didn't think it would happen. Perhaps Thomas felt even more pressure than me. We've met three times in Paralympics (singles) finals. Maybe after so many losses (against me), he was stressed, whereas I've won it before, so I was able to play wide open," Feng reflected.
This victory marked Feng's fifth consecutive Paralympic gold in MS3, showcasing his enduring dominance in the sport.
"I'm pretty happy about it, but actually I didn't think too much about it," Feng noted. "I did not take the past results to current games. If you set your sights on how many straight titles you want, things might go wrong. At the end, it's about playing one match at a time."
Feng first won Paralympic gold in 2008 in his home country and has successfully defended the singles title in London, Rio, Tokyo, and now Paris.
"When I started playing and competed in 2008, I didn't think about how many titles I wanted to win in a row. I just thought if I could win just one gold medal, and that matters the most."
Feng also spoke about the pressure of being the defending champion and the ups and downs he's faced in each competition.
"There was some pressure and that's for sure. It was not always smooth. Sometimes you're trailing; sometimes you're leading but the opponent comes back; sometimes opponents reach match point. People see my five in a row. In reality, every match has been very difficult," he said.
Reflecting on becoming the first player to reach 10 para table tennis golds, Feng expressed gratitude for his achievements.
"It's affirmation of all my years of hard work. I've always faced challenges, whether in training or competitions," said Feng.
As a para table tennis icon, Feng also revealed that he has his own idol - Olympic table tennis champion Deng Yaping, who won both singles and doubles golds in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.
"I've met her years ago. She (Deng) taught me how to play with long pimples because my backhand-playing style is similar to hers. She gave me some technical things," Feng shared. "I hope to become a legendary table tennis player like her." ■