Spring Break
Zhang, Huang headline North American Olympic Trial qualifiers as Philadelphia sports legends make appearance
Brett Fischer and Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 1/11/08 Section: Sports
Going into the first Olympic Trials event of the year, 21 talented athletes had ambitions of advancing to the North American Qualification Tournament April 4-6 in Vancouver, Canada.
But in the end, only four men and four women had their dreams become a reality, as a roaring crowd of 1,850 cheered in approval Jan. 13 at Drexel's Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.
Yao (Crystal) Huang raised her arms in triumph, holding a Liberty Bell trophy, as she had the best tournament performance of her life in winning the 2008 U.S. Olympic & National Team Trials - Table Tennis in the women's division.
She along with Nan Li (7-1), Jacqueline Lee (6-2) and Whitney Ping (5-3) qualified for the North America Qualification Tournament from April 4 - 6 in Vancouver Canada.
In the men's division, David Zhuang (9-2), Han Xiao (9-2), Eric Owens (8-3) and Yinghua Cheng (8-3) will all be seeking a bid to Beijing, China for the 2008 Olympics after finishing in the top four in the standings.
Sometimes, modesty is the most important trait an athlete can have, especially when competing at such a high level. This was the case for the undefeated Huang (8-0), who won 24 of her first 26 games to go 4-0 in that stretch. In addition, she beat Jasna Reed (4-4) for the first time in her career
"I don't have many emotions," the shy Huang said, in reference to a question about how she is able to stay calm in stressful situations, while most women make noises to motivate themselves.
"I'm thinking [about] how to play the point," Huang said. "I just focus on every game."
The 44-year-old Zhang was able to navigate the field to finish in first place in the men's division, but it wasn't easy.
"I'm very happy to get through the tournament," Zhang the men's first-place winner said. "Before I got into the tournament, I knew it was going to be very hard, so I'm happy to be talking to all of you [reporters]."
Zhuang, who currently resides in West Windsor, NJ, will be seeking his fourth visit to the Olympic Games.
But in the end, only four men and four women had their dreams become a reality, as a roaring crowd of 1,850 cheered in approval Jan. 13 at Drexel's Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.
Yao (Crystal) Huang raised her arms in triumph, holding a Liberty Bell trophy, as she had the best tournament performance of her life in winning the 2008 U.S. Olympic & National Team Trials - Table Tennis in the women's division.
She along with Nan Li (7-1), Jacqueline Lee (6-2) and Whitney Ping (5-3) qualified for the North America Qualification Tournament from April 4 - 6 in Vancouver Canada.
In the men's division, David Zhuang (9-2), Han Xiao (9-2), Eric Owens (8-3) and Yinghua Cheng (8-3) will all be seeking a bid to Beijing, China for the 2008 Olympics after finishing in the top four in the standings.
Sometimes, modesty is the most important trait an athlete can have, especially when competing at such a high level. This was the case for the undefeated Huang (8-0), who won 24 of her first 26 games to go 4-0 in that stretch. In addition, she beat Jasna Reed (4-4) for the first time in her career
"I don't have many emotions," the shy Huang said, in reference to a question about how she is able to stay calm in stressful situations, while most women make noises to motivate themselves.
"I'm thinking [about] how to play the point," Huang said. "I just focus on every game."
The 44-year-old Zhang was able to navigate the field to finish in first place in the men's division, but it wasn't easy.
"I'm very happy to get through the tournament," Zhang the men's first-place winner said. "Before I got into the tournament, I knew it was going to be very hard, so I'm happy to be talking to all of you [reporters]."
Zhuang, who currently resides in West Windsor, NJ, will be seeking his fourth visit to the Olympic Games.
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