By Mat LaBranche
Former Ottawa resident Eugene Wang will be looking to gain a bit of redemption when the Olympic Games begin on Aug. 5 in Rio.
“Since I was not able to participate in the singles event (in 2012), qualifying for it became my goal,” Wang says by e-mail. “It’s what has pushed and motivated me throughout the past four years.”
In the lead-up to the London 2012 Games, Wang had not received his Canadian citizenship in time to compete in the North American Olympic qualifier. The China-born athlete did become a citizen in time to be added to Canada’s roster for the team event, though he doesn’t view that in quite the same light.
“I only got to play one match in London, and to be honest, I feel like my Olympic career still hasn’t even started,” indicates Wang, who was based in Ottawa at the national team’s training centre (which has since left town) from 2006 to 2012. “So it will be a great experience for me this time around to fight from the first point until the end.”
Shortly after the 2012 Olympics, Wang moved overseas to train alongside top-level athletes, now using Germany as his main training base and playing in a French professional league.
The 30-year-old has firmly entrenched himself as the top male North American table tennis player, though the 2015 Pan Am Games double-bronze medallist remains a ways behind European and Asian rivals, ranked #69 in the world.
Wang does have a 2013 Swiss Open World Tour event bronze medal to his name and has knocked off world top-10s on occasion.
“I don’t give much consideration to (being the top North American player),” says Wang, who still lists Ottawa as his hometown. “My goal is always just to compete and achieve good results on the international stage. Going into this year’s Games, I don’t have any specific expectation. I’m just hoping I can perform at my top level and to fight out each point.”
Despite recently falling victim to a cold and fever, Wang, who also frequently suffers from a recurring back injury “nightmare,” is confident he’ll be ready in time for the Rio Games.
“I have been training very hard over the past few weeks and I feel in shape,” underlines Wang, who decided to become a professional table tennis player at the ripe age of 11. “So far, I haven’t thought much about the Games. I’ve just focused on training and fixing any problems. I know (the Olympics) are fast approaching, and I’m excited and honoured to represent Canada, as I am in every international competition.”
Ottawa Olympic connections
There are a number of Rio 2016 Olympians with lighter connections to the capital.
Women’s marathon and 10,000-metre runner Lanni Marchant is a University of Ottawa law grad who does some of her training locally and won the 10k road race national title during Ottawa Race Weekend.
Coached by Ottawa’s Paul ApSimon, Hamilton’s Eleanor Harvey represents the Ottawa Fencing Club. Perth’s Amy Millar (the daughter of 10-time Olympian Ian Millar) was born in Ottawa. Swimmer Ashton Baumann lived and trained in Ottawa while his father Alex Baumann (double-gold medallist at Los Angeles 1984) worked for Own The Podium. Mark Oldershaw (canoe-kayak) and Erin Rafuse (sailing) attended Carleton University.
Tara Whitten, who recently won the women’s time trial at the Canadian Road Cycling Championships in Ottawa/Gatineau, competes for the Ottawa-based Cyclery-Opus team.
Canadian women’s soccer team players Diana Matheson, Rhian Wilkinson, Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence all dressed for the former Ottawa Fury W-League team on their way up to the national team, plus six past Fury players who competed in last summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup were contenders to play for New Zealand and Australia.
New Zealand greco-roman wrestler Craig Miller trained with the National Capital Wrestling Club in 2013-2014 while his future fiancée was in town.
Christine Roper, Antje von Seydlitz and Jennifer Martins are amongst several out-of-province rowers based at the national team’s centre in London who are registered in Ontario through the Ottawa Rowing Club.
Also hailing from the area are Elgin’s Selena O’Hanlon (equestrian), Smiths Falls’ Brooke Henderson (golf), and Gatineau athletes Karine Thomas (synchronized swimming), Karol-Ann Canuel (cycling) and Maxime Brinck-Croteau (fencing), while the men’s volleyball national team is based in Gatineau.