Paris ¨C Hina Hayata was not even able to brush her hair because of the pain in her left hand the night before she was supposed to play for a bronze medal in the table tennis competition at the Paris Olympics.
It was so bad, the southpaw had trouble using her hand during the match. The 24-year-old, though, showed the heart of a warrior and battled through the pain. The reward she got at the end made it all worth it.
Hayata fell behind early before winning four of the next five games to defeat South Korea¡¯s Shin Yubin in the women¡¯s singles bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics at South Paris Arena on Saturday afternoon.
¡°This bronze medal feels more valuable than gold because of the struggle and effort behind it,¡± Hayata said. ¡°Since yesterday, I haven¡¯t been able to practice properly, and my left hand has been almost unusable. I couldn¡¯t even dry my hair or take a bath by myself. Many people helped me, providing care until 4 a.m. I¡¯m incredibly grateful to everyone who supported me.
¡°Although I¡¯m disappointed with not making it to the final, winning the bronze in these circumstances feels like a greater achievement than a gold medal.¡±
Hayata won 4-2 (9-11, 13-11, 12-10, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7) to earn her first Olympic.
Hayata swept her first three matches in Paris before going the distance to beat North Korean Pyon Song Gyong 4-3 in the quarterfinals before running into a wall against Chinese No. 1 seed Sun Yingsha.
Sun won their semifinal 4-0 to advance to the final, where she lost to Cheng Meng 4-2 in an all-Chinese matchup on Saturday.
Hayata dropped the first set against Shin, who defeated Miu Hirano in the quarterfinals. The momentum went back and forth over the rest of the match, with Hayata showing her closing power and resolve to take three straight games.
She trailed 10-9 in the fourth game, but calmed herself during a timeout and won the next three points to take a commanding lead.
Shin, however, extended the match by winning the fifth game.
Hayata was ahead 7-2 at one point in the sixth game before Shin began whittling away at the lead. Hayata held her nerve, however, and held on for the win.
¡°I tried to focus on each point and not get distracted by my limitations,¡± she said. ¡°Despite the pressure, I stayed calm and concentrated on what I needed to do next.
¡°My backhand was limited today, so I relied heavily on my forehand. It was about balancing control and aggression, and I think I managed that well.¡±
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