<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Medal dreams come true <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Gutsy Feng rewards parents' toil and sacrifice </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Chua Chin Hon, China Bureau Chief
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She may have lost the match but Feng Tianwei sure won over the Singaporeans back home and those at the stadium in Beijing last night who cheered her and her Singapore team-mates on. -- ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->BEIJING: THE silver medal around Feng Tianwei's neck last night was the fulfilment of a long-held dream of her late father, Feng Qingzhi. Mr Feng died from multiple sclerosis in 2002, just weeks before his daughter was to try for China's national B squad.
She topped the qualifying matches and earned a national team call-up in 2003. But she fell ill for a long spell and a source close to her said it was 'because she missed her father too much'.
Friends described Mr Feng, a granary worker, as a doting father who never once scolded his only daughter.
'All the neighbours who watched Friday's semi-final said it was a pity he did not live long enough to see his girl play in the Olympics,' said another person close to the family, who live in the north-eastern city of Harbin.
Feng's mother, Madam Liu Chunping, 46, still lives in Harbin, where she works at a department store. For years, she and her husband scrimped and saved to pay for their daughter's table-tennis training.
Feng, however, kept her emotions in check last night, only saying that her silver medal had definitely fulfilled her late father's dream.
'I will take it back to Harbin to show my mother,' she said.
After her impressive performance during Friday's semi-final clash where she came out the winner after a tense battle against her South Korean opponent, expectations were high yesterday that the 21-year-old would pull off an upset against her Chinese opponent.
In particular, many were hoping for a rematch between Feng and world No.1 Zhang Yining. The Singapore player scored a shock victory over Zhang earlier this year at the Asian Cup in Sapporo, Japan.
Instead, Feng was drawn to play world No.5 Wang Nan. There was no repeat of her earlier giant-killing feat.
Though Feng started well by claiming the first game 11-9, she struggled subsequently against her cannier and more experienced opponent and lost the next three 3-11, 8,11 and 6-11, and with that, her match.
Asked about her performance, Feng said: 'I felt I didn't play too badly. My opponent played better than me and she is much more experienced. This is a good learning experience for me.'
Watching from the stands, Shi Yazhou, Feng's very first table-tennis coach, said she needed to sharpen her killer instinct and improve on her serve.
He told The Straits Times: 'Tianwei was a little tense in the beginning, and she could not deal with her opponent's change in pace and tactics. This is still a matter of experience.
'But to win at this level, she will really need some killer moves.'
[email protected]
Also read: New citizens make up half our Olympic team
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Gutsy Feng rewards parents' toil and sacrifice </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Chua Chin Hon, China Bureau Chief
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
She may have lost the match but Feng Tianwei sure won over the Singaporeans back home and those at the stadium in Beijing last night who cheered her and her Singapore team-mates on. -- ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->BEIJING: THE silver medal around Feng Tianwei's neck last night was the fulfilment of a long-held dream of her late father, Feng Qingzhi. Mr Feng died from multiple sclerosis in 2002, just weeks before his daughter was to try for China's national B squad.
She topped the qualifying matches and earned a national team call-up in 2003. But she fell ill for a long spell and a source close to her said it was 'because she missed her father too much'.
Friends described Mr Feng, a granary worker, as a doting father who never once scolded his only daughter.
'All the neighbours who watched Friday's semi-final said it was a pity he did not live long enough to see his girl play in the Olympics,' said another person close to the family, who live in the north-eastern city of Harbin.
Feng's mother, Madam Liu Chunping, 46, still lives in Harbin, where she works at a department store. For years, she and her husband scrimped and saved to pay for their daughter's table-tennis training.
Feng, however, kept her emotions in check last night, only saying that her silver medal had definitely fulfilled her late father's dream.
'I will take it back to Harbin to show my mother,' she said.
After her impressive performance during Friday's semi-final clash where she came out the winner after a tense battle against her South Korean opponent, expectations were high yesterday that the 21-year-old would pull off an upset against her Chinese opponent.
In particular, many were hoping for a rematch between Feng and world No.1 Zhang Yining. The Singapore player scored a shock victory over Zhang earlier this year at the Asian Cup in Sapporo, Japan.
Instead, Feng was drawn to play world No.5 Wang Nan. There was no repeat of her earlier giant-killing feat.
Though Feng started well by claiming the first game 11-9, she struggled subsequently against her cannier and more experienced opponent and lost the next three 3-11, 8,11 and 6-11, and with that, her match.
Asked about her performance, Feng said: 'I felt I didn't play too badly. My opponent played better than me and she is much more experienced. This is a good learning experience for me.'
Watching from the stands, Shi Yazhou, Feng's very first table-tennis coach, said she needed to sharpen her killer instinct and improve on her serve.
He told The Straits Times: 'Tianwei was a little tense in the beginning, and she could not deal with her opponent's change in pace and tactics. This is still a matter of experience.
'But to win at this level, she will really need some killer moves.'
[email protected]
Also read: New citizens make up half our Olympic team
