Patryk Chojnowski with second gold after a match only for viewers with strong nerves

What a final it was! Patryk Chojnowski was already leading 2:0 in sets, only to lose the third set, but in the fourth he had two match points. He didn’t use them and it went to the fifth set, in which he was already losing 4:9, and then his opponent had three match points! And yet it was the Pole who won and won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris.

– I simply stiffened, I had no control over my hand, over my legs, I stood still and couldn’t do anything. I don’t know how I won it. I don’t know how I won it – repeated Chojnowski, who was just as amazed by the course of the match, especially the fifth set, as the journalists who interviewed him.

But first things first.

Patryk Chojnowski started the singles final (MS10) very well, in which his rival was the Chinese Lian Hao. In the first set, the Pole was already leading 5:3, and shortly afterwards 8:6, but he let himself be caught up and had to play for advantage. He won this set 12:10, and in the next one he was also leading from the beginning, to win two key points at 9:8. The result 2:0 and the clear advantage of our representative suggested that the match was under control. Probably no one expected what happened next. With Chojnowski at the forefront.

– After my good play in the first two sets, what happened in the match with the Frenchman in the semi-final happened – he admitted. – Some relaxation, a moment of inattention and the Chinese player started playing better, and I lost my concentration, it threw me off balance.

The third set was even. Point for point. However, Chojnowski’s counter suddenly stopped at 7 and only Lian Hao scored points until the end. The fourth set started with the Chinese player leading 3:0, but Chojnowski maintained a safe distance and eventually equalized, and at the end he took a two-point lead. It was 10:8, he had two match points, but he did not use them and eventually lost 10:12.

You have to know how to win finals

The last set was a different story. The very beginning was even, but from 3:3 the Chinese player won five points in a row. It became 3:8, then 4:9 and it started to look bad. But then Chojnowski started to work hard to make up for the losses.

– When I lost that point 9:4, for a second I felt total relaxation, such resignation. I said: “Okay, well, tough luck”. And a moment later something in the back of my head said: “No, well, you can do it”. And it was just ball to ball… And I knew that you really have to know how to win finals and only the eleventh point ends the whole match. I played with this player many times, I knew that he also makes easy mistakes in key moments, and that’s what happened. He had two very easy balls to end the match and he didn’t hit them… And I won…” he said, although disbelief was still audible in his voice.

From 9:4 the Pole won three points in a row, but the Chinese player also won one ball. He was leading 10:7 and had three match points, and at the same time championship points. He didn’t use any of them, and Chojnowski’s move to equalize was as bold and risky as you can imagine: Lian Hao served, and Chojnowski received it in the very corner of the table. He hit it and it was 10:10. The Chinese player had no solution to all this. Our representative won two more points, and after the last one, in a frenzy of joy, he tore off his shirt and jumped on the table, triumphant.

– When I got to 10, I knew I would win, that he wouldn’t be able to handle it anymore – he said. – I knew that I had to just play on the table, be close to the table, not play aggressively, just play correctly, without any nonchalance, without any tricks, just on the table, because I knew he would make a mistake.

A huge relief

This is Patryk Chojnowski’s second gold medal at these games, after the one he won with Piotr Grudzień in doubles (MD18). It is also his third gold in singles at the games (previously: London and Tokyo) and his seventh medal at the Paralympic Games in general.

– I worked hard for this for three years, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of suffering, injuries – he said. – I wanted it to end like this. I came here with the mindset to win this individual tournament. I devoted most of my time to preparations, so I wanted this scenario to be like this and I’m really happy that it worked out. But more than satisfaction, I feel a huge relief. The stress is gone. Now I feel… so relaxed. Before, I walked as if someone was holding me from behind, by the back, I was so tense. But now I’m relaxed.