Last year, table tennis star Truls Möregårdh took Olympic Games silver in both singles and team in Paris, but already after Saturday's victory in the semifinals in the major tournament Europe Smash, he considered the week in Malmö to be his best so far in life.
It got even better. On Sunday, the 23-year-old defeated the Chinese world number one Lin Shidong in a highly dramatic final in a boiling Malmö arena. The Swedish world number seven won with the set scores 11–8, 8–11, 12–10, 11–8, 4–11, 11–13, 11–9.
”An emotional bomb”
There were a lot of tears right away. It felt like it was an emotional bomb. I was incredibly eager to try to take this title, says Möregårdh to SVT.
Already after the Olympic Games success, there was a table tennis fever in Sweden. It was noticeable in Malmö during the World Tour tournament.
Just to see everyone looking so good during a table tennis match, it's completely fantastic. Just that makes me tearful. As soon as I go out there, I get goosebumps, says Truls Möregårdh.
He extends a special thank you to all his loved ones.
Seeing all the people I love sitting so close gave me a great sense of calm at the end of the match. It felt so easy to breathe suddenly – when I looked at my dad, my mom, my brothers, and all my friends and my girlfriend. It felt so easy to play the last points, he says in the victory interview on the court.
I don't know what happened tonight. Such a state of shock. Even when I lost the sixth set, it felt like I could win, he continues.
He is rewarded with just over 950,000 kronor.
It's really fun. You usually go to the round of 16 and then you usually calculate if it's enough, says Truls Möregårdh.
Will return next year
The Grand Smash tournaments – four in total per year – are the flagship events on the World Tour (WTT), but the tournament in Malmö is the first to be held on European soil.
It will return to Sweden again next year and will likely be played in Malmö again – with Truls Möregårdh as the title defender.
This is the biggest thing I've ever won. Doing it on home soil and as the first European ever. It's too good to be true. It really wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't on home soil, says the 23-year-old to SVT.
Born: February 16, 2002.
Occupation: Table tennis player.
Lives: Malmö.
Club: Eslövs AI.
World ranking: Seventh.
Main merits: Victory in the World Tour tournament Europe Smash 2025, Olympic Games silver in singles and Olympic Games silver in team 2024, World Championship silver in singles 2021, World Championship bronze in singles 2025, World Championship bronze in team 2018, European Championship gold in team 2023, European Championship bronze in singles and European Championship silver in doubles 2024, European Championship bronze in team 2021 and 2019.
Other: Voted by the Swedish people as the winner of Radiosportens Jerringpris 2024.
