The ITTF Americas Qualification Tournament: A Path to the Paris 2024 Olympics
The ITTF Americas Qualification Tournament in Lima, Peru, concluded with great excitement as ten table tennis players (five men and five women) secured their spots for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The table tennis championships, held from May 14 to 18, saw intense competition and remarkable performances from top-level athletes.
Canada’s Mo Zhang Sets Sights on Fourth Olympic Appearance
Canada’s Mo Zhang, a 35-year-old table tennis champion, will make her fourth appearance at the Olympic Games after clinching one of the tickets in the women’s singles event. Zhang, who tops the list of players who qualified in the first stage, will rely on her extensive experience from previous Olympic campaigns as she heads to Paris to compete on the table tennis table.
Newcomers and Returning Olympians Qualify for Paris 2024
Joining Zhang on the flight to Paris is Chile’s two-time Olympian Paulina Vega, while her compatriot, Zhiying Zeng, will make her Olympic debut in table tennis. Another debutant heading to Paris is Mexico’s Arantxa Cossio in the women’s singles event.
In the men’s singles, three of the four players who qualified are returning Olympians, set to make their second appearances at the table tennis games. However, Olympic debutant Santiago Lorenzo from Argentina, a 2018 Youth Olympian, became the first player to secure his Paris ticket in Lima, defeating American Nikhil Kumar in a thrilling match.
Mexico’s Marcos Madrid and the United States’ Kanak Jha will return to the Olympic table tennis competition after their debuts at Rio 2016, while Cuba’s Andy Pereira, who made his first Olympic appearance at the London 2012 Games, also qualified for Paris 2024.
Reactions from the Qualified Players
The 22-year-old Argentine, Lorenzo, expressed his immense joy after securing his place in the upcoming table tennis tournament, saying, “>I think I still haven’t gotten over the excitement because it ended just two minutes ago. I feel tremendous happiness and am now relaxing my body after a long day.”
Canada’s Zhang, eager to compete in Paris, commented, “>I am very, very, very happy. It is my fifth Olympics, and I am very happy to have qualified this time. I just want to try my best because last time I finished in the round of 16, which is my best result so far. I just want to fight this time.”
The ITTF Americas Qualification Tournament in Lima, Peru, witnessed the emergence of new and experienced table tennis talents, all vying for a chance to showcase their skills on the world stage at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
🔗 Source
