2025 Europe Smash Highlights: Hometown Hero Truls Moregard vs World #1 Lin Shidong
Sweden’s Truls Moregard, World #7 and double 2024 Olympics Silver Medalist, was voted Sweden’s most popular athlete last year by 50,000 votes to the next nearest athlete. He has created a table-tennis boom in Sweden where all clubs have large waiting lists and the clubs can not accommodate the demand. He faced off in the final of a major tournament, the Europe Smash this past weekend in his hometown of Malmo, Sweden against World #1 Lin Shidong, someone he had never beaten and against whom he had never won more than 1 game against in all previous matches combined. Truls beat Wang Chuqin of China last year in men’s singles at the Paris Olympics en route to silver, the only time he has beaten him.
I have been to Sweden many times when the previous golden generation led by Jan-Ove Waldner, Jorgen Persson, Peter Karlsson, and Mikael Appelgren beat the Chinese and became World Team Champions 4 times. Waldner also was World Men’s Singles Champion twice and won Olympic Gold and Silver. Although Waldner was the only Swedish athlete to win gold at the 1992 Olympics and became a national hero, there was a boom in table-tennis in Sweden, but not like now because of Truls Moregard.
I gave the option to the Sunday morning advanced class to watch the Europe Smash final or do regular class and many chose to watch the Europe Smash and wow, did it deliver an unbelievable match! I heard from one Swedish coach this match is very big news in Sweden and everyone in Sweden is talking about the match. Please enjoy the highlights!
