The Republic of Korea (ROK) prevented a Chinese clean sweep of gold medals on the final day of play in the Table Tennis events at the Peking University Gymnasium by overcoming the host nation in a tension packed Men's Team - Classes 4/5 final.
The Republic of Korea won by three matches to one in a duel that lasted two hours 21 minutes.
The first two contests both went the full five games distance and both went to the Republic of Korea.
Jung Eun-chang overcame Guo Yingyuan, while Kim Byoung-young accounted for Zhang Yan. China reduced the arrears by winning the Doubles but matters came to an end in an electric atmosphere with Zhang saving two match points in the decisive fifth game, before Jung secured victory and the top prize for Korea.
France captured bronze when the duo of Emeric Martin and Christophe Durand defeated Norway's Tommy Urhaug and Rolf Erik Paulsen by three matches to nil.
A reverse for China but it was the only gold medal to elude their grasp on the last day of competition.
They won Women's Team - Classes 4/5, Men's Team - Classes 6/8 and Men's Team - Classes 9/10.
In Women's Team - Classes 4/5, Ren Guixiang repeated the success of four years earlier at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games by adding the Team title to the Singles crown clinched earlier in the week - she was the backbone of China's success.
Ren remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and in the final was the backbone of the host nation's three-one victory over Germany. The Chinese heroine defeated both Monika Sikora-Weinmann and Andrea Zimmerer of Germany, while with Gu Gai, she clinched victory in the vital Doubles.
The one German success came in the second match of the contest with Zimmerer beating Gu by the very narrowest of five game margins.
A three-one win for China and that was the margin by which Jordan defeated Serbia in the bronze medal contest. A star performer was Khetam Abuawad, who beat both Nada Matic and Borislava Peric of Serbia, also partnering Fatmeh Al-Azzam to Doubles success. The one Serbian win came from Peric against Al-Azzam.
China also clinched gold in Men's Team - Classes 6/8. Against Slovakia, Ye Chaoqun overcame Miroslav Jambor, Chen Gang defeated Richard Csejtey and China secured the doubles to bring matters to an end.
Zeev Glikman of Israel beat both Stephane Messi and Francois Serignat of France but two defeats for Shmuel Shur and a reverse in the Doubles by the narrowest of five game margins spelt doom for Israel.
Gold for China, bronze for France and it was the same in the competition that brought the Table Tennis events at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games to a conclusion.
In Men's Team - Classes 9/10, Gilles de la Bourdonnaye and Jeremy Rousseau guided France to a three matches to nil victory over the Czech Republic pairing of Jaroslav Cieslar and Ivan Karabec to secure third spot. In the gold medal duel, Ge Yang and Ma Lin of China overcame the Spanish pairing of Jose Manuel Ruiz and Jorge Cardona by the same margin.
The national anthem that brought down the curtain had a familiar sound - once again China called the tune.
(BOCOG.com September 16, 2008)