China’s table tennis team will not achieve a gold-medal sweep at the upcoming Paris Olympics, as third-seeded Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong faced elimination in the men’s doubles at the World Table Tennis Championships on Thursday.

The sixth-seeded duo from Chinese Taipei, Kao Cheng-Jui and Lin Yun-Ju, defeated Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong with scores of 11-5, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8. The Chinese pair struggled to establish a rhythm and displayed limited creativity throughout the match.

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Earlier in the tournament, Kao and Lin also eliminated China’s Liang Jingkun and Huang Youzheng with a 3-1 victory in the second round.

This marks the first time since 1975 that China has failed to reach the semifinals in the men’s doubles event at the World Championships.

Meanwhile, Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha overcame a sluggish start to defeat Japan 3-1 in the mixed doubles quarterfinals.

The second-seeded Chinese pair managed to excel during crucial moments, beating fifth seeds Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, according to reports from Xinhua.

Matsushima remarked, “I thought we would lose this match easily. We played better than we expected and felt the depth and tenacity from each of the Chinese players. The gap between us is quite significant.”

He also noted that at one point, he and Harimoto saw a potential opportunity: “If we had secured the third set, we might have had a chance to win. However, we fell short. That highlights the difference between the Chinese players and us.”

On Wednesday, Lin Shidong bounced back from an unexpected morning defeat to win both his singles and doubles matches. He and Kuai Man, the top seeds in mixed doubles, were upset 3-1 (8-11, 11-5, 13-11, 12-10) by Japan’s 16th-seeded pair Maharu Yoshimura and Satsuki Odo, leaving Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha as the only Chinese duo still in the competition.

The third-seeded Chinese pair achieved a convincing 3-0 victory over South Korea’s Jang Woo-jin and Cho Dae-seong (11-5, 11-9, 11-9). Earlier, world No. 1 Lin Shidong rebounded from a slow start to defeat 74th-ranked Kristian Karlsson of Sweden in a five-set match (8-11, 11-1, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9).

Olympian Raiza Dhillon showcased remarkable skill in challenging conditions to secure a silver medal in the women’s skeet event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, on Thursday.

The Indian shooter hit 51 targets out of 60 in the final, finishing second to Great Britain’s Phoebe Bodley-Scott, who scored 53. German competitor Annabella Hettmer took the bronze medal.

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This achievement marks Raiza’s first individual ISSF World Cup medal at any level during her final junior year. It also contributes to India’s tally of three medals at the prestigious Suhl Junior World Cup, including a gold won by Kanak in the women’s air pistol event on Wednesday.

Inspiring Performance

Raiza began the day in fourth place with a score of 71 after three rounds of qualifying. She executed rounds of 22 and 23 to advance to the finals as the second qualifier.

Her second-place finish was solidified not only by her total of 116 after five rounds but also by excelling in a three-way 24-shot shoot-off against Phoebe and Hettmer.

Taking that momentum into the final, Raiza started strong with four clean hits at Station 3 and positioned herself second, trailing Phoebe after the first 10 targets, having missed just one.

“Yesterday was manageable, but today was really cold and windy,” Raiza commented post-final. As the conditions worsened, competitors began to falter.

The first to be eliminated after 20 targets was Lidiya Basharova of Kazakhstan, followed by reigning junior world champion Madeleine Russell of Britain, and then Italy’s Arianna Member. Raiza assured herself a medal with 32 hits in the first 40 targets.

Chasing gold, she struck 19 out of the next 20 targets, but was unable to overcome Phoebe’s lead of three in the last 10 targets, ultimately finishing with silver.

“It’s wonderful to have an ISSF World Cup medal. After adjusting my technique before the Olympics and finally feeling settled, I knew the results would follow. I carried the confidence from reaching the final at the Peru Senior World Cup into this event. I’m now focused on the upcoming Lonato World Cup,” she concluded.

Other Indian Scores from the Day:

Women’s Skeet

Vanshika Tiwari: 22, 23, 21, 20, 23 (109) – 15th

Yashasvi Rathore: 22, 22, 22, 20, 20 (106) – 19th

Mohika Sisidiya: 19, 18, 20, 22, 21 (100) – 28th

Men’s Skeet

Harmehar Lally: 24, 22, 22, 24, 25 (117) – 7th

Zoravar Singh Bedi: 23, 22, 22, 22, 23 (112) – 29th

Ishaan Singh Libra: 25, 22, 22, 20, 22 (111) – 35th

Jyotiraditya Sisodiya: 20, 23, 23, 21, 23 (110) – 38th

Atul Singh Rajawat: 22, 20, 22, 22, 19 (105) – 54th

10m Air Pistol Mixed Team

Urva Chaudhary/Chirag Sharma: 576 – 5th

Pushpender Singh/Sanskriti Bana: 560 – 21st

50m Rifle 3 Positions

Adriyan Karmakar – 589

Vedant Nitin Waghmare – 587

Manvendra Singh Shekhawat – 577

Harshvardhan Singh Naruka – 572

Rohit Kanyan – 560 (eliminated)

As the 2025 German Cup final draws near, Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic is filled with mixed emotions. Now 27, the Bosnia international still feels the sting of his missed penalty in the 2022 final while representing Freiburg—a moment he admits might linger with him forever.

“Since that day,” Demirovic reflected, “I have gained a new understanding for anyone who has to take a penalty under such immense pressure.”

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During the 2022 final in May, Freiburg’s hopes were dashed by Leipzig, partly due to Demirovic’s missed spot-kick.

This Saturday at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium presents a fresh chance for redemption as Stuttgart takes on third-tier Arminia Bielefeld. Demirovic emphasizes that this matchup will not be taken lightly, according to reports from Xinhua.

“It doesn’t matter if a top-flight team faces a lower-league side; that doesn’t change the dynamics,” he asserted. “I know it sounds cliché, but cup finals have their own unique atmosphere and rules.”

While Stuttgart enters the match as favorites, having bounced back from a mid-season dip, Demirovic cautioned against overconfidence. “Even if we are seen as favorites after escaping a difficult league period, these 90 minutes or more are a level playing field,” he cautioned.

Demirovic hopes to avoid another tense penalty shootout but is ready to take the responsibility if necessary. “If needed, I would step up again,” he stated. “Football allows for fresh opportunities, no matter what has happened before.”

The striker views this match as a new beginning. “I’m with a different club now, and I’ve successfully converted penalties since that miss. This match feels like a new lease on life,” he noted.

Demirovic also pushed back against the narrative that Bielefeld are underdogs, pointing out their impressive run, having eliminated four Bundesliga teams on their journey to the final. “Just look at the teams they’ve beaten. It’s not just luck when they knock out Freiburg, Werder Bremen, Union Berlin, and Bayer Leverkusen,” he said.

His teammate, German international Deniz Undav, emphasized the significance of this occasion. “Competing in a final like this feels akin to facing Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the league or Champions League,” Undav remarked. “A cup final is an entirely different experience.”

For Demirovic and Stuttgart, Saturday offers a chance to forge new memories and finally move past the shadow of past disappointments.