Adelaide Breakfast
William Henzell: Blogging from Beijing
Posted by Triple M Friday 8 August, 2008 08:46 AM
Hello South Australia! My name is William Henzell and I'll be representing Australia at the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing in table tennis. I was pretty happy to make the Australian team but I'm sure you can understand how much more excited I was when I heard that Adelaide's favourite breakfast show, Kym, Ali and Dzelde would be adopting ME as their very own South Australian athlete at the Games.
Ninth blog...
August 23
What a ride the last few days of the Olympics have been. When I last wrote I was preparing for my singles campaign to start. I was feeling pretty good after the teams competition having close really close against one of the Chinese gold medal favourites. By the way, China completed it's domination in the team event winning all of their matches 3-0. I spent the 4 days in between the teams and singles training, getting physio and having some freezing cold ice baths. No Beijing sites, no spectating at other sports and unfortunately no real chance to relax and take it all in. The strain of living with that nervous feeling in my stomach of having upcoming competition isn't my favourite but you take the good with the bad.
I was to play an Algerian in my first round match. I didn't know too much about him, just his world ranking and some of his past results. Whilst everyone who makes it to the Olympics is a good player I would have been disappointed to go out against a lower ranked player at the Olympics. My stomach had been nervous and sore all day and I wasn't feeling great about playing in front of thousands of people. I got off to an awful start! I lost the first set and played awfully. He was serving very well and I was struggling to find my game. My coach helped me to stay calm, focused and positive. I took the next sets 11-2, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8 and found a good rhythm. I had a bit of time to stick around and watch my teammates play before it was back to the village for lunch. My second round game was 6:45 that evening.
I tried to stay active back in the village so I didn't get bored and lethargic. The boys and I called into the games room and shot some basketball (one of those machines where you try to get as many in as you can) and played some Daytona. Another meal (I eat a lot and often during competition) and it was back to the hall. My opponent was Swede Jens Lundqvist. Jens reached the top 20 in the world a few years ago and was going to be a tough nut to crack.
I got a great start winning the first two sets 15-13 and 11-9. Jens fought back taking the next two 11-8, 11-5 and looked to be the better player. The next set was to be crucial. I took command of the set and streaked ahead. At 8-2 to me I lost just a tiny bit of concentration. The margins are so small in table tennis that any loss of concentration is normally very costly. He won point after point and a couple of minutes later I was down a set point at 9-10 and on my way to a painful Olympic exit. I remember exactly at that moment realising that my Olympics were about to end and accepted the fact (my sports psychologist might have a thing or two to say about that..). That seemed to relax me and I started hitting winners again. 12-10 for me and suddenly I was back in it!
It's that kind of thing that can really do your head in. If he'd won that all important 5th set, I would probably struggled to pull myself back and he'd probably have coasted to a 4-2 win. One point meant so much - just a millimetre, a split second between success and failure. There is no middle ground here - it's all good or it's all bad!
I took command of the 6th set. The closer I got to one of my best career wins the more I felt the adrenaline pumping. I was in a different world though: I could see the umpire turning the score card over but was just focused on the next point, next point. 11-3 in the last set and I'd done it! It felt fantastic and I was soo happy to have caused one of the biggest upsets of the table tennis. I ran over to hug my coach and then over to hug my teammates. One of my best mates, Martin Rogers, is a sports journalist for Yahoo.com, gets in everywhere on his press pass and managed to get my teammates Dave and Kyle sitting right behind my court. And what an absolute racket they made! We didn't walk away with medals from here but certainly with the 'most vocal support award' for that performance.
Unfortunately the win meant that I would miss Australia's basketball match against the USA in the quarter final the next day but I wasn't complaining. My next opponent was Jae Young Yoon from South Korea. Yoon was ranked even further in front of me than the Swede and had already won a bronze medal in the three man team competition a few days earlier.
I wasn't feeling any nerves any more. It was just so much fun to be out there playing. There was nothing to lose and I got off to a great start. 11-4, 11-7 in the first two sets and I was on my way to a big win. I lost the third set 11-9 but went ahead 7-0 in the fourth. He came back strongly but I scraped through 14-12. I really thought I had a good chance to win from there as 3-1 is a big lead to have. Unfortunately he lifted his game and made things very difficult for me. He had a great serve with so much spin and hit the next shot very hard. I lost the next three and my Olympic competition was over. It is not often you get to walk off the court happy when you've lost but I felt I had played close to my best table tennis ever and that there was nothing else I could have done.
The last few days since my singles have been almost as busy as the competition! I've spent some good time with my parents. They came and had a look around the Athlete's Village and we have visited The Forbidden City (fantastic) and the Great Wall (even more fantastic). I went to the Wall today which happened to be one of the 3 clear blue skies we've had since we got here.
Eighth blog...
August 18
Have you seen the seen the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? You'll understand what it is like to be at the Olympics if you have! Our daily routine is very similar. I get up in the morning, go to breakfast, get a session with the physio, go to training, have a session of massage or acupuncture, have some lunch, do my ice baths, back to the village, off to dinner, a bit of time for relaxing then off to bed. We're training much less than normal here as our competition is in two days time and it's important to be fresh when crunch time comes.
It's hardly fair to complain though. This is a pretty good place to be at. We get our washing done, our rooms cleaned, food available 24 hours per day and some of the best sporting action in the world around the corner. The table tennis was right at the start of the Games in Athens so we had plenty of chances to cheer on the Aussies in other events. Hopefully we will get to see a couple of other sports before it's time to get on the flight back home. The Australian team media crew produces a daily newsletter for the team which is a great read every morning. It's the best way to keep up with how our teammates are going.
The singles are starting tomorrow and I'm looking forward to finally getting back onto the court. It has been tiring to live with this constant tension of Olympic preparation and competition. Tomorrow that will all get taken onto court.
Seventh blog...
August 15
Yesterday was quite a day. Having lost to Austria the day before last we had to win against China to have a chance of staying in medal contention. Not the easiest task with the three best players in the world and hundreds of millions of Chinese on the edge of their seats craving a gold medal. I don't think there are any other Chinese athletes here with more pressure on them to win than the Chinese table tennis team. The atmosphere in the hall was absolutely electric. There weren't many empty seats (the sessions have been sold out for months but not all the sponsor ticket holders turn up on the day) and the Chinese team received a hero's welcome when we were marched into the hall.
Kyle Davis came up against Wang Hao in the first singles. Kyle put in a solid performance and hit some good shots but Wang Hao is a formidable opponent. I played against Wang Liqin in the second singles. Wang Liqin is one of the best players in history and a three time world singles champion. I've played him twice before: at the World Cup in 2006 and at the Swedish Open in 2007. The first time was just a write off and I lost 4-0 without the sniff of a chance. I did better in Sweden, also going down 4-0 but having set point in the first set and a big lead in the second.
I felt victory was possible. At the French Open last year we had a great win against the world number 6 (also from China) and his partner in the doubles event so I knew that the top Chinese can be beaten. I was feeling calm and collected before the match, much unlike the day before against Austria. I thought my best chance was to stay close to the table and play fast, especially with my backhand topspin. The tactic worked very well and he became passive and lost confidence.
I took the first set 11-6 and sped away to a 7-1 lead in the second. There was an eerie silence in the hall and the crowd couldn't quite believe what was happening in front of them. He came back to 7-6 but I went ahead to 10-8. I then missed a couple of shots that I really could have made which would have given me a commanding 2 sets to 0 lead. The point at 10-10 was a cracker and I'm sure will be shown a few more times. He was at the back of the court and went to lob. The ball hit the top edge of his racket (999 times out of 1000 the ball would have gone into the crowd), I celebrated, my bench celebrated, I looked up to try to see the ball which was up around the roof, the ball was swerving backwards and forwards and came down awkwardly in the middle of the table. I wasn't sure if it had backspin and would bounce back onto his side so I didn't get a strong smash in. He countertopspinned and I missed. The stadium erupted. I lost that set 12-10. My tactics were still working really well so I stuck with them. I was up 9-7 in the third set and 9-6 in the fourth but just couldn't get across the line in either of them.
I was extremely happy to have played one of the best matches of my career, against China, at the Olympic Games but also disappointed to have come so close to having such an icon of the game against the ropes.
Dave Zalcberg and I played well in our doubles against Ma Lin and Wang Liqin. We had 9-9 in the first and 10-10 in the second but it is when it's close that they played their best table tennis. The amount of pressure to play your best shots every time you hit the ball is massive.
We now have a few days to rest up. Get some physio work before we start the singles event.
Sixth blog...
August 13
Today was a pretty rough day. We've been preparing for the Olympics for such a long time and we could have gotten off to a better start. We played against Austria who admittedly are one of the best teams in the world. Their strong line up boasts the 2003 world singles champion (the only non Chinese in 11 years) and a Chinese number 2 who
Austria bought to win them international medals.
I've felt pretty relaxed and level headed in the lead up to competition. Not at all as nervous and uncertain as before Athens. We headed down to the hall a couple of hours before our match to practice and prepare. It turns out that it is quite a rigmarole to get to actually play at the Olympics. All the players must report to a holding area 30 mins before the match begins. Rackets are tested to check if they comply with the regulations (ie not too thick, not too much shine, no banned substances in the rubbers). Absolutely everything we are going to take out to the field of play has to be checked to make sure there aren't too many logos or brand names showing. We were herded into rows and marched out to greet the cheers of the big crowd. I think Australia and Australians are generally very well received by the Chinese and we got a warm welcome.
I played Austria's Chinese import in the first game. We were neck and neck for almost all the first set before he pulled away to win by the tightest margin 11-9. I was certainly feeling my nerves and didn't feel at all comfortable on court. You really have to go for your shots all the time in table tennis to have any chance of winning so I vowed to go for it more in the second set. I led 7-6 before the Austrian pulled out in front. I levelled at 9-9 but lost the next point to trial 10-9. The hardest thing about playing such top opposition is that they put so much pressure on you to play so well on every single point. You don't get anything for free. I got back to 10-10 but he played two really strong points to win 12-10. I felt I had really deserved to win one of the first two sets and was disappointed to have fallen short. I started poorly in the third set and it was all downhill from there. He won 11-6.
Kyle Davis, just 19 years old and in his first major event, put up a good fight against the former world champion but couldn't match his skill. Dave Zalcberg and I have played doubles together for a quite a few years now. We suit each other well and beat the top Italian pair at the Athens Olympics. We got off to a poor start losing 11-4 in the first set. We fought back to take the second set 11-8 and continued to play well in the third. The score was 8-8 when we had some bad fortune. The Austrians shot hit the edge of the table, just a millimetre from missing, and at 10-8 their shot hit the top of the net and dribbled over. The margins are small in this sport and it was cruel. We couldn't make it back and lost the fourth.
My parents Robert and Jenni had great seats just behind our table and thoroughly enjoyed the action. I'm very happy they were able to come here after missing the Athens Games. In Athens we were able to almost just stroll up into the stands and sit in the crowd. It isn't that easy here and I hope I get a chance to say hello to them in person soon!
We put in a reasonable showing against one of the top teams. It does put us in the unenviable position of having to beat China tomorrow morning to stay in medal contention. The match against the Chinese is being broadcast live on tv here to an expected audience of a few hundred million people. SBS are showing it in Australia but might struggle to get as many viewers!
Thanks everyone for your messages of support!
Fifth blog...
Monday August 11
The Olympics are well and truly in full swing. Many events have started and the medals have started rolling in. I can feel our own competition rapidly approaching and the tension starting to build. It is as daunting as it is fantastic compete at the Olympics. None of us would be here if we weren't at least decent at dealing with high pressure situations. But even so you'd better believe that there will be an army of butterflies in our stomachs as we take the court.
The unsung heroes of the Australian team are definitely the medical staff. Our team of doctors, physios, masseurs, acupuncturists etc put in many loong, tireless days getting and keeping our bodies in the best state possible. They work wonders on our battered bodies and always with a smile and word of encouragement at the end. I've been getting 30 mins of acupuncture and 30 mins of physio each day and it is making such a big difference to me. The lovely Linda Philpott (formally of the equally as lovely Adelaide Hills) makes sure the place runs like clockwork.
We've been doing daily ice baths at the Australian recovery centre which is about a 20 minute drive from the village. "Ice baths for table tennis players?!" I hear so of you mumbling down the back. Absolutely! The physical requirements of top table tennis are often misunderstood. It's a lot more physical than the garage variant of the game where the main worry is not to put your shoulder out by following through into the parked car. Pro table tennis players get a lot of lactic acid build-up and tightness in our legs, hips and backs and ice baths help flush that out. It makes a huge difference in our recovery.
Fourth blog....
August 9
Last night was a special night. It isn't every day you get to march out in front of a crowd of almost 100 000 people amongst many of the most prominent athletes in the world. The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games is a one of the highlights for both athletes and spectators. From what I've heard this one was up there with the best ever. Unfortunately we only got to see the closing moments of the ceremony. Those marching were seated in the adjacent gymnastics venue for a few hours beforehand in the wait for our turn to march. Australia was team 203 out of the 205 I think, so there was a fair amount of time to kill.
It's an awesome feeling to be out in the middle and look up at the crowd all around you. The roar from the crowd as we entered the stadium echoed was deafening but we were just the preshow to the Chinese team marching in. The stadium literally shook! The part where the Olympic flame was lit in the stadium with the gymnast running in mid air looked as spectacular from down below as I'm sure it did on t
The ping pong team had a good training session in competition hall today. The Peking University Gymnasium is surprisingly compact and intimate for a venue that seats 7500 spectators. A table tennis ball isn't very big and can be hard to see from far away when it's moving as quickly as it does in international competition. But the organisers have done very well to keep all the seats so close to the action. I can't wait for my parents to get to see me compete there in a few days time!
The draw for the team event is out. We will play against China, Austria and Greece. It is very tough to get China in the group. They have the number 1, 2 and 4 in the world in their team and are the red hot favourites to win. The amount of pressure the Chinese team has on their shoulders to win gold is almost unimaginable. Table tennis is the national sport of China and the players are treated like royalty here. Anything but gold will be unacceptable. Just thinking about what the atmosphere in the hall will be like when we play the Chinese is giving me goosebumps.
We will have to beat China to win the group and maintain our chance to win gold. It's a tough ask but we know it is possible. Australians have beaten top Chinese players in the past and if we have a cracker it can happen again.
Thanks so much for the messages of encouragement from Triple M listeners (and readers!). It means a lot for me to feel your support and I'll be carrying that out on court with me.
Third blog...
Friday August 8
We are at the Olympics! The Aussie Table Tennis team landed in Beijing late on Wednesday night. We had a very early start and a long flight so we were relieved and happy to finally arrive. There wasn't too much time to explore the village so we grabbed a quick meal and headed off to bed. The dining hall at the Olympics is absolutely huge. Almost 20 000 people are fed there every day so I'm sure you can imagine. The food is good, there is plenty of it and you can go back as many times as you like!
Yesterday (Thursday) was busy. We picked up our Australian uniform in the morning. It's fantastic quality, looks great and there was lots of gear. We go through a fair amount of clothes here with training and the humidity. In the early afternoon we attended the Australian flag raising ceremony. The guests of honour were Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Olympic Village mayor and AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) President John Coates. There are many proud moments at an Olympics and seeing the Aussie flag raised with our anthem playing in the background is certainly one of them. There was a heavy media presence at the ceremony and I think it was broadcast live across Australia.
In the evening we had our team welcome ceremony at a fancy hotel in Beijing. There were many very distinguished guests including PM Kevin Rudd, Princess Mary and Prince Fredrik, John Howard, Kate Ellis and many, many more. The AOC do a very goob job of reinforcing what an honour it is to be an Australian Olympian and the responsibility we all have to be role models and and inspiration for others. Bruce Mcavaney gave a special speach and James Tomkins was name as the Australian flag bearer for tonight's opening ceremony.
There's just a few short hours to go before the opening ceremony. The anticipation has been building and those lucky enough to be able to march are getting more excited by the second. We start competing on day 5 of the Games so we are safe. It feels amazing to stand out there in the middle and hear the roar of the thousands and thousands of people. Australia is marching third last (China march last) so the crowd will be on the edge of their seats. Unfortunately we will miss out on actually seeing much of the opening ceremony as we will be in a holding area or making our way to the entrance. I think those of you who watch it will be in for a real treat!
I've sent through some photos I've taken in Beijing to be posted on the Triple M website. I have to be careful what I say show from the Games as blogging is a touchy subject: there are restrictions in place so if I'm being less than descriptive in my blog then you know why.
Second blog...
Thursday August 07
Today feels a little like the night before Christmas and there's anticipation galore in the air. Four years of waiting are finally over and tomorrow morning the Aussie table tennis team leaves for Beijing. This time feels different to the last Olympics: Athens was my first Games and I felt like a little kid in lolly shop. My eyes were as big as saucers and the fact I was at the Olympics didn't quite want to sink in. This time around I feel excited but much calmer at the same time. I know what is awaiting and I feel ready to take it on and achieve the best result I can.
We'll be one of the last Australian teams to arrive in China. In Athens we started competing on day 1 so we were one of the first to arrive. It looks like everyone is settling in well and the facilities look great. The amount of resources China has put into this Olympics is unrivalled and I think they will run fantastically.
The flight to Beijing will be about 10 hours tomorrow and we arrive late in the evening. We'll be straight off to the Village for a good sleep and then we've got a media conference on Thursday morning. After that is one of the highlights of the Olympic experience: picking up your Australian uniform! It's a very proud feeling to look down at the Australian coat of arms and the Olympic rings underneath and know that you are representing your whole country.
First blog...
Wednesday August 06
Kym, Ali and Dzelde have been great since then and offered their undying support for my Olympic campaign. I'll be chatting to the guys directly from Beijing throughout the Games and sharing the highs and lows of Olympic competition. I will also be writing a blog for the Triple M website to give listeners the unique opportunity of reading what actually happens inside the athlete's village. 2008 is the first time athletes have been allowed to blog from the Olympics!
The road to the Olympics is never short for any athlete. Years and years of daily training and preparation go into just being selected in the team to go let alone having a chance to battle for medals. I would say table tennis is misunderstood by many Australians. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard "I used to be pretty good when I was a kid, I reckon I'd give you a run for your money son" I could retire a very wealthy man. However, believe it or not, table tennis is one of the sports that requires the most amount of training to get to a world level. The sport has it's biggest following in Asia and in Europe.
My road to the 2008 Olympics has been long and windy. I moved to Sweden to play table tennis when I was 14 and stayed in Europe for 12 years in all (nine of them playing professionally). I've recently moved back to Australia and I loving living back in such a great country.
I've represented Australia at the last two Commonwealth Games, winning silver in the singles in 2006, which I was very proud to share with my family who have barely been able to see me play since I was very young. My first Olympics in Athens in 2004 was certainly a highlight. Competing at the Olympics just feels different to other events. Maybe it is seeing the Olympic rings all around you and knowing you are a part of the biggest sporting event in the World. Looking down and seeing the Australian coat of arms on your shirt feels great!
I will be blogging a few more times in the lead up to the Games and more regularly (hopefully daily) once we arrive in Beijing.
Comments
Post a Comment | Comments (30)
wow, this is cool. you sound like quite a talent william!
good luck in beijing!!!!!
Posted by andy Monday 4 August, 2008 08:52 AM
Sounds great!! I would say "I'm rooting for you" - but some would say it's inappropriate!! I would say "come on william" - but I'd run the risk of a Sam Newman scale scandal!! So I will say please make us proud - but you already are just by representing us!!! Thanks!!! Don't forget to have fun too - and remember us listeners back home are cheering you on!!! Look forward to your updates - Juicy goss please!!!!!!! :) Oh & of course we can all imagine how excited you were to be adopted by KAD!!! Fantastic :)
Posted by Ange Monday 4 August, 2008 03:15 PM
Great stuff Wook! Will be a great opportunity to meet some of the top players as well. Hope you'll take some picture... Are you allowed to post pictures on this blog from there?
Posted by Alex Tuesday 5 August, 2008 09:42 AM
Melinda hows Lehmo going with the smoking I know how hard it is hey people. Talk to me xo
Posted by melinda Wednesday 6 August, 2008 09:16 AM
The People's Ping Ponger - Go you good thing!!!
Posted by Zane Thursday 7 August, 2008 09:11 AM
Lycka till på OS William! Kram Familjen Anderssons i Lyckeby & Jämjö
Posted by andersson Friday 8 August, 2008 04:15 PM
Hey Will, hope you had a great time at the opening ceremony - Must be an awesome feeling?? Hope you're having a good time - not too much seriousness, but not too much fun either!! hahaha!! All the best mate, look forward to the next installment!!!!!!!!! :)
Posted by Ange Saturday 9 August, 2008 08:51 PM
Good luck William and the rest of the team. It is going to be tough against China but keep your heads up and who knows what could happen.
Posted by Jeff Plumb Monday 11 August, 2008 08:58 AM
Hey William - fantastic photos!!! Cheers for sharing them with us!! Look forward to the next update!!! :)
Posted by Ange Monday 11 August, 2008 01:16 PM
Good luck Will, it sounds like the atmosphere will almost be as big as the Jamestown open!All the best champ you deserve it ,cheers Jim.
Posted by jim Monday 11 August, 2008 05:49 PM
Hey William, good luck buddy.
The peoples ping ponger rocks!!
Posted by Zane Monday 11 August, 2008 10:13 PM
Hey Will, top stuff for making another olympics, Who would of thought a ping ponger would make the triple M show! lol. Tam
Posted by Tammy Gough Tuesday 12 August, 2008 03:37 PM
Gogogogo Henzell, all the best man. Keep up the blogging and here's hoping we get some TV coverage of you in action. - Danny Boy
Posted by Daniel Wednesday 13 August, 2008 10:10 PM
Congrats Will- this is fantasticn and we are all cheering you on. Heard you on the radio, great ambassador- must have been your great public school background!!
Posted by Katrina Spencer Thursday 14 August, 2008 11:55 AM
Congrats Will- this is fantasticn and we are all cheering you on. Heard you on the radio, great ambassador- must have been your great public school background!!
Posted by Katrina Spencer Thursday 14 August, 2008 11:55 AM
Hey William, I watched what they showed on SBS, I thought you guys did a great job!!! I may have got a little more vocal than i ever would have thought.... much like I do when watching the footy or rugby.....Anyway - sensational effort, we're all proud of you & the team!!!!!! Fantastic photos & cheers for sharing all this with us!! And thanks to Kym, Ali & Dzelde for adopting you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Loving hearing about sport other than swimming!!!!!!! :)
Posted by Ange Thursday 14 August, 2008 08:24 PM
Will, you did Australia proud, South Australians even prouder,to match it with the chinese in china great for the sport ,brilliant for yourself,well done mate. Watching with my dad made me proud to be Australian.Good luck in the future matches, you would hope it can only get easier from here cheers Jim!
Posted by jim Thursday 14 August, 2008 10:57 PM
All the best for the 19th William.
Posted by Zane Friday 15 August, 2008 09:02 AM
Well done Aussies, and to you, our South Aussie! All the best for Monday! My son plays disabled table tennis (he has Down Syndrome) and he insists he plays like you!
You did so very well against the Chinese bloke, in his home country! Play like that again and who knows! Go William!
Posted by Joyce Friday 15 August, 2008 02:21 PM
Lycka till i OS William. Hoppas att vi ses snart.
Posted by Ann-Charlotte Fransson Saturday 16 August, 2008 02:29 AM
William, The Victorian Henzell's are extremely proud of you. We watched and cheered (hope you heard). We wish you all the best of luck for the singles. If you play like you did against china you will be O.K. No matter what happens all of the family are proud and hope to hear more from you.
Posted by the Melbourne Henzell family Saturday 16 August, 2008 03:53 PM
Hey William!! Well done today (19th!!) sensational!! I was at the shopping centre, looked up at a tv, saw you playing so stopped & watched!! Who needs to play Kym, Ali & Dzelde's ping pong hey??!! WELL DONE!! Loving your diaries & photos!! Do you guys trade anything after the match?? (like the soccer with their shirts & 1 game i saw they traded shorts also!!!!!!). Keep up the good work, we're all behind you!!! :) PS Cheers for saving me money at the shops today too - not only are you a sporting hero, but a financial advisor also!!!! :) Go Aussies!!!
Posted by Ange Tuesday 19 August, 2008 04:44 PM
Well done Willie. I'm proud! good luck tonight!
Posted by Jos Tuesday 19 August, 2008 04:54 PM
Yessssssssssss. Great win mate! was riding you all the way via live scoring. Hope channel 7 shows some highlights at least! So proud of you!
Posted by Piers Carter Tuesday 19 August, 2008 09:45 PM
Hey William, just saw you beat Lundqvist.... Great work!!!!!! Congratulations on getting this far. Best of luck from everyone at Brighton District Table Tennis Club.
Posted by Paul Glassenbury Tuesday 19 August, 2008 09:59 PM
Congrats on an awesome performance. Been agonising to follow it via live scoring - was willing you on all the way! Great campaign.
Posted by Daniel Laidlaw Wednesday 20 August, 2008 10:29 PM
Bra jobbat, William.
4-3 mot koreanen.
fantastiskt.
Kan jämföras när du slog mig första gången.
underbart bra jobbat, OS
Svante
Posted by svante Altas Thursday 21 August, 2008 12:52 AM
Hi William, I was following your match with Young. You were so close to beating him ... Keep up the good work! I'm sure you'll do better next time.
Posted by Anthony Thursday 21 August, 2008 02:20 AM
HEY! omg watched every single table tennis match! You are so cool! i didnt think that table tennis looked like that! Keep up the good work coz ure doin really well!
Posted by Elmos apprentice Friday 22 August, 2008 05:16 PM
Hi everyone! Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement. I've been reading your comments during the Games. We leave to come back to Australia today which is a bit sad.
Thanks,
William
Posted by William Henzell Monday 25 August, 2008 10:49 AM