At about 50 revolutions per second, a topsin (blow with effect) must start on the knees of his pitcher and end up almost at the height of the head. This is what table tennis manuals say. However, despite the Anglo -Saxon of terminology, Chinese is a dominant language in the world of ping pong. It is determined by the world classification, where the Asian giant occupies the top of male individuals with Jike Zhang, and no female ding, and by teams in both sexes, which is why no player wishes to find them along the way. “Our goal is to get to where we can cross with China. It's that simple.” They are words of Manolo Sierra, vice president of the Technical Area of the Spanish Table Tennis Federation, and that shares the rest of the international circuit. “We have a level to stand up to the rest of the selections, but China is something else,” Sierra trusts. Spanish Palists debut this Saturday from 11.00.
The Spanish team is composed of men by Carlos Machado, Palista Cordoba, 32, who has achieved the best qualifying record in the domestic championship, and He Zhi When, who will participate in his third games after competing in Athens 2004 and in Beijing 2008.
Juanito has just turned 51, these are his third games, and we do not know how he will physically respond to the demand for a competition like this “
Manolo Sierra, Technician of the Spanish Federation
“Carlos should mark the goal of finishing in the top eight. He has not had a bad pairing. In Primera Ronda he will face the Nigerian Aruna Quadri, 238 of the world, and would have to consider the competition little by little,” says Sierra. “Juanito -apodo with whom the Spanish pallist of Chinese origin is known- is a real unknown. He has just turned 51, these are his third games, and we do not know how he will physically respond to the requirement of a competition like this, despite the fact that he is an incombustible man.”
Classified by a NASA study as the most complicated sport at the elite level, Spanish table tennis holds all its hopes of medal in the Spanish of Chinese origin Shen Yanfei, 33, who before leaving London was awarded the Open of China. “His options depend on how height he finds none or Shiwen Liu, number two in the world,” Sierra clarifies. The other Spanish representative in female individual is the Catalan Sara Ramírez, 24, and another of the future projections. “He can stand for anyone, in the second round he would have to play against Margaryta Pesutka, who was bronze in the last European, although he has many possibilities to move forward.”
The fifth representative is the Spanish of Ukrainian origin Galia Dvorak, who together with Yanfei and Ramirez make up the women's team that, issues of chance, will face China in the first round. “We will try to surprise., Although it is already difficult to overcome Japan, Korea, Malaysia … the challenge is now huge,” Sierra warns. However, the Spanish table tennis quarry has drawn a line of work with an objective beyond the London Games, and even those in Brazil in 2016.
The competition begins with the first round classifying clashes. It is the beginning of a path in which Spanish pallists are clear who they don't want to have in front.
