| Hubert Guériau |
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Competition Day Five- Team Events 1756 |
 After the semi-finals
Yang Ha Eun (KOR)
- On the gold medal match: "The Japanese player (girl) is very similar to the North Korean and very defensive so I will try to play the same way as I did today and also learn about the Japanese as I go along.”
- On the semifinal against PRK: "I tried to stay calm and do what I had to do and that's why I won. I have a different feeling to compete with North Korea. I tried not to feel it, but I had no choice to feel those different feelings.
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Kim Dong Hyun (KOR)
-On the gold medal match: "I will work harder, concentrate more and plan more carefully"
- On the semifinal against PRK: “I was playing North Korea, so I was more nervous, because of the relationship between our contries.”
“Last year we played at a rehersal for the Asian Games, and we lost to North Korea 2-0, so I had to plan carefully.”
“It's the first time I've played Niwa, but Yang has played the Japanese girl before. Compared with other countries, Japan play a lot faster.”
Gu Yuting (CHN)
-On her Coach being red-carded and forced to leave the FOP during the mixed doubles:
"It didn't effect me. In fact, it motivated me to play better."
-On her developing partnership with Adem Hmam (TUN): "The team is getting better, we are improving together."
"I think I was the one who gave more hand signals on how to play during the match, but only because he is more quiet and reserved."
-On whether she feels pressure to win her singles matches: "It's ok, I just want to take it one game at a time, as all the players are good."
-On whether she would like to play more mixed teams events: "Yes, I'm looking forward to playing this format more. It's good to meet new players and to overcome communication problems, it's a very good experience."
-On whether she would rather win a bronze medal or play beautiful table tennis: "Both are important, because if we don't play beautiful table tennis we won't win a bronze medal."
-On her YOG experience: "I played very well because of my coach and my friends encouraging me and this is what I liked best."
Adem Hmam (TUN)
-On whether he feels confident playing doubles with Gu (CHN): "Yes, I feel confident playing doubles with her."
"It was OK, we communicated with symbols. It was a good experience because she is very good and we played a lot of strong matches."
-On what advice the Chinese coach gave him between sets: "He told me a lot of things - about my tactics, service, things like this."
Han Hua (Chinese coach)
-On why he was shown three red cards: "Because the language is different, for each match I have to give him instructions and it takes up a lot of time. I have to say quite a few things and didn't manage the time very well."
"I'm very proud of them. It's really hard for Gu Yuting to play with him, but they didn't give up."
Japanese Coach
"In the last game I was amazed at the performance of Tanioka. The cut shot is really her strength."
“There’s nothing to say about Niwa. He is the best.”
Adem Hmam (TUN)
-On why he thought he lost the match: “He [Koki Niwa] is a very good player. It was the first time I played him and he was a very tough opponent.”
-On the experience of the Youth Olympic Games: “It has been a very good experience for me. To play against the best has been great.”
-On what he has learnt: “To be cool, to not panic and try and not get nervous.”
-On reaching the semifinals in the Mixed Team
We are disappointed now but I think we have exceeded expectations to get this far
-On reaching helping Adem Hmam (TUN) during the matches
It was mostly the coach. He reminded him to handle correctly and shared his experiences of how to handle pressure in big tournaments
-On the experience of the Youth Olympic Games:
When we first arrived I was really anxious because athletes had already won gold medals and I felt the expectations on me. But all I have focussed on for a week was the competition and when I walked into the stadium it was a great feeling – it was much better than I thought it would be.
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