On Saturday evening, the three Luxembourgish table tennis players competed in the Olympic Games.
Ni Xia Lian emerged as the sole representative from the Luxembourg Table Tennis Association (FLTT) to advance to the second round out of the three players that qualified for the Paris Olympics. The 61-year-old Luxembourger won 4-2 against Sibel Altinkaya from Turkey.
Watch clips of the match here:
Right from the start, it seemed like a clear win for the Luxembourgish player. After taking a 3-0 lead, her opponent managed to narrow the gap to 2-3.
In an interview, Ni Xia Lian mentioned that she had played against her Turkish opponent several times before, "When I [was winning] 3-0 I was too conservative, and then she had nothing to lose and that's the sport," said the 61-year-old athlete. "The technique is one part and the psychological is another part."
When asked how she maintained her dominance in the game after all, Ni Xia Lian answered, "Because I know I am better. I can win when I play well. So I cannot wait anymore. I have to be aggressive. I have to do better."
In the next round, it is pretty certain that Ni Xia Lian will be playing against the current world number 1. This is a once in a life time chance for Ni Xia Lian. "I hope that it will be a beautiful match but I will cherish every point."
The table tennis player also shared that carrying the Luxembourgish flag at the opening ceremony on the Seine was a great honour.
Watch the interview in English here:
Sarah De Nutte: "I knew it would be tough"
For Sarah De Nutte it was game over after the first round as she lost 2-4 against Portugal's Jieni Shao.
Watch the interview in Luxembourgish here:
The match between Sarah De Nutte and the Portuguese player was a close call in the end. In a first impression shortly after the match, the Luxembourger said, "I knew it would be tough to win this match, but I gave it my all."
Although not entirely dissatisfied, Sarah De Nutte felt it was her best match against this opponent to date. Naturally, she would have preferred to have won the match.
This is Sarah De Nutte's second appearance at the Olympic Games after Tokyo. In Japan, the 2021 Olympics were held without spectators due to the pandemic.
In contrast, De Nutte was dazzled by the atmosphere in the sports hall in Paris, "It's definitely a different feeling when there are 6,000 people in the stands. Many people cheered for me, including French spectators, perhaps because I played in the French championship as well. That certainly helps people recognise me a little. The atmosphere here was incredible and it's a shame I won't get to play another match here."
Luka Mladenovic "I did everything I could"
It was tough going for Luka Mladenovic, who was the first male Luxembourgish table tennis player to qualify for the Olympics as Denmark's Jonathan Groth proved to be a challenging opponent. The Luxembourger lost 1-4 to the Dane. In the world rankings, Groth is ranked 23rd, while Mladenovic is 90th.
Watch the interview in Luxembourgish here:
The first set proved to be decisive and set the tone for the rest of the match, according to Luka Mladenovic in an interview. His opponent got off to a better start, "I knew I had to start strong and strike early to unsettle him and make him a bit more nervous."
The Luxembourger lost the first set and quickly lost the second as well. The atmosphere in the hall helped him try to motivate himself, "With all the people here creating an incredible atmosphere—my family, my friends cheering every point—I just thought to myself, try to play a bit more creatively, a bit more freely."
Jonathan Groth simply got a better start in the game. "He was just a step ahead in everything today," said Mladenovic. This he had hoped for himself as well but alas, it did not work out as he had intended.
Nevertheless, he was smitten by the Olympic atmosphere, noting it was truly special to casually bump into legendary athletes like Nadal, Alcaraz, or Murray.
"I gave it my all today, and now I'll try to make the most of the next few days here, watching other sports as well."
