Already before Sunday's dream final between Truls Möregårdh and the world's number one Lin Shidong in the European Smash in Malmö, Jan-Ove Waldner had noticed that the Swedish table tennis star had changed his way of mentally approaching opponents from China.
Truls said after the semi-final: It will be difficult to beat me. Previously, when he lost to, for example, Wang Chuqin (world number two), he said he played fantastic table tennis, but then he was overrun. If we disregard the victory over Wang early in the Olympic Games tournament last summer, says J-O Waldner, who has taken an Olympic Games gold (1992) and two World Championship golds (1989, 1997) in singles.
"Have been a little blind"
Möregårdh has previously lost major finals to Chinese players. This was the case in the Olympic final in 2024 and the World Championship final in 2021 when Fan Zhendong was too difficult.
The players have been a little blind before and said it's impossible. That's what Truls used to think too. Now a turning point came - he believed he could win. It's big, of course. Especially beating a Chinese world number one, says Waldner.
This season, a crack in the Chinese wall can be sensed. The Brazilian Hugo Calderano beat Lin in the major tournament World Cup in April, and earlier in August, the Japanese Tomokazu Harimoto won a final against Wang Chuqin on the world tour.
That's how it started for us too. When I started beating Chinese players, Gatien (Jean-Philippe) also started winning against Chinese players. Then came Rosskopf (Jörg) and Saive (Jean-Michel), says Waldner.
The development makes Waldner believe that Möregårdh in the future can challenge for championship gold on a global level.
Waldner: Olympic Games gold is the greatest
He has it in his body. Truls can now have a belief in winning a World Championship or Olympic Games thanks to this victory. That belief maybe only six to eight players in the world can have. Apart from the Chinese, it's Harimoto, Calderano, and Truls right now. No one else can win.
Above all, an Olympic Games gold is still ranked as the greatest that can be won in the table tennis world, emphasizes J-O Waldner.
An Olympic Games, people never forget. You can ask all table tennis players in the world, and everyone will answer Olympic Games. Then you will be remembered in Sweden for having won, not just for having taken a medal. You have to win to get this greatest aura, I think, says Waldner.
The next singles World Championship will be held in 2027 in Astana, Kazakhstan, and the next Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles, USA, in 2028.
Born: February 16, 2002.
Occupation: Table tennis player.
Lives: Malmö.
Club: Eslövs AI.
Main merits: Victory in the world tour event 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 to winner of Radiosportens Jerringpris 2024.
