China's Chen defends Olympic crown against world's No 1

PARIS -- China's Chen Meng defended her Olympic crown in the table tennis women's singles after defeating world No 1 Sun Yingsha 4-2 in the final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

Chen, 30, second seed in the event, outclassed compatriot Sun 4-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 at the South Paris Arena 4.

It's the second straight Chen-Sun singles final showdown on the Olympic stage. At Tokyo 2020, Chen overcame Sun to claim the Olympic title, also in six sets.

"I knew it would be extremely challenging. In the past three years, my matches with Sun were tough. Today, I had a mindset of giving my all and fighting to the end," Chen said after the match.

Chen believed that there were no losers in the final match. "Because we secured both the gold and silver for China. This match upholds the honor of Chinese table tennis. The applause should be for both of us," she said.

The 30-year-old also revealed that she faced many difficulties in the past several years, including her competitive form and injuries. "Given my age and the uncertainty of future opportunities, I deeply cherished this chance to showcase the strength of the Chinese team on this grand stage of the Olympics," she added.

Sun, who took gold in the mixed doubles partnering Wang Chuqin on Tuesday, gave high praise to her opponent, "She [Chen] didn't waver today, but I did, especially in the fifth set. I didn't hold on until the end."

"At the next Games in Los Angeles, I'll try once more and fight for the women's singles gold again," the 23-year-old noted.

Earlier on Saturday, Hina Hayata of Japan claimed the bronze medal after beating Shin Yu-bin of South Korea 4-2.