Hinse switches it up for a win
University of Ottawa student gives Canada second spot in London Games main draw
OTTAWA – Once was enough. Twice would have been excruciat- ing.
During the 2008 North American Olympic table tennis trials, Pierre-Luc Hinse was one victory from a ticket to his first Summer Games in Beijing.
But on the second day of the trials the native of Gatineau absorbed a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the best-of-seven final to teammate Peter-Paul Pradeeban of Ottawa, Ont.
Four years later at the 2012 North American Olympic trials in Cary, N.C., everything started to unfold for Hinse just like it did in 2008.
On the opening day of the 2012 trials, Hinse defeated Americans Timothy Wang 4-2 and Michael Landers 4-2 in his playoff matches to reach the men’s singles final and again play for his first Summer Games berth.
But Hinse, 24, was blown away by much younger Ottawa-based national team training centre partner Andre Ho of Richmond, B.C., 13-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7. Ho is only 20.
For the second day of competition and with a second Olympic berth on the line, an older and wiser Hinse was fully prepared to fight to the bitter end this time for an opportunity of a lifetime.
Seeded No. 1 and having qualified for the final with an 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 11-3, 11-8 decision over Landers in the semifinals, Hinse started strong in the final against Wang, taking the opening two games by 11-7 scores.
But Wang charged back, winning the three middle games 11-9, 12-10, 11-9, and Hinse could feel his sweaty palms slipping from the five Olympic rings.
But then, Hinse rebounded to tie the match, grabbing the sixth game 11-8, and then secured his Olympic berth by winning the seventh and deciding game 11-8.
“I knew how to deal with it as I had played in a final before,” Hinse said, after a recent morning practice at the national training centre. “He was nervous. I was ahead 2-0 and he was taking risks.
“But then he came back and I thought, ‘Oh, no, I’m going to miss my chance.’ But that was a negative thought. I had to just focus.
“At 3-2 for him, I really felt the pressure. It’s either now or never. It’s not a nice feeling, but sometimes you need that feeling. It brings out the best in you to survive.”
Hinse changed his game to serving long and mixing his defences to win the final two games, and the second of three North American zone Olympic berths.
When the match ended, Hinse released an ear-splitting tribal scream of celebration, releasing four years worth of stress and pressure.
Coupled with Ho’s singles victory on the first day of the trials, Hinse gave Canada two spots in the Summer Games main draw, which allowed Canada to compete in the team competition. Ottawa’s Eugene Zhen Wang, who was ineligible for the Olympic trials because he didn’t receive his Canadian citizenship until June 1, will be the third man on the team, although he’ll be the strength of the team as he’s tied for 113th in the world rankings.
The team competition will be a single-elimination event for 16 countries. Although the draw hasn’t been made, Canada can expect to face one of the top countries in the world. Canada finished 43rd at the 2012 world team table tennis championships in Germany in April. The top five countries are China, Germany, Korea, Japan and Austria. China has been the kingpin nation in table tennis for the past two decades.
“They will be very difficult to beat. But there could be a surprise. We have a definite chance,” Hinse said about Canada’s chance to win its opening match and reach the quarter-finals.
“We’re the underdog, the ones with the least pressure. China will have unbelievable pressure. they’re supposed to win. Otherwise they’ll bring shame to their country.”
Facing any member of the Chinese men’s table tennis team is a daunting task. During a recent World University Games, Hinse played a Chi- nese opponent and felt he had no chance.
“He was at another level, too fast,” he said.
But he understands why the Chinese are so dominant in the worldwide sport.
“For them, it’s military training,” he said. “For us, we start because we like it. In China, they start at age seven and they don’t play for fun.
“It’s table tennis for six hours a day. They’re like robots and become machines. They’re extremely competitive. Only the strongest ones survive.”
It’s so competitive within the Chinese community that not even 2008 Olympic champion Ma Long qualified to defend his men’s singles title in London. Ma has been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the world for 24 of the past 31 months and a top-five player for the past five years.
Zhang Jike, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist, and Wang Hao, who are No. 2 and No. 4 respectively in the world, will play singles and join Ma for the team competition. There’s an outside chance Ma could find himself in the singles draw.
If Hinse comes face to face with a Chinese opponent, he has a plan.
“Lots of variety,” he said. “If I try to go speed for speed, I’ll be No. 2.”
Hinse has had some good domestic and continental results in the past year to boost his confidence and also played several top international tournaments during training camps in Europe.
In 2011 he won the North American men’s singles title as well as the national championship, and the national team challenge.
But if Hinse had a few strong international results, that would help improve his overall confidence.
“To be honest, I’m not naturally a confident person,” said the University of Ottawa anthropology student, who likes to use meditation and yoga as part of his preparation.
“I have to push myself to believe in myself. But I’m playing well and I feel (good) about my game. I have a good balance in my game.”