World Cup jury strips Zhang of the prize money for his over-exuberant celebration. |
Zhang Jike claimed a dramatic victory over teammate Ma Long in an all-Chinese final to clinch the ITTF World Cup title on Sunday but paid a heavy price for his celebrations.
The Chinese world and Olympic champion defeated Ma 8-11 11-4 13-11 7-11 2-11 11-5 12-10 in an epic encounter in Dusseldorf to clinch his second World Cup crown.
In a high-quality contest, Zhang fought back from behind to end his opponent's unbeaten streak in 2014, but he soured his triumph with an over-exuberant celebration, which saw him kick through the sponsorship barriers surrounding the court. As a punishment, the competition jury decided to strip him of his $45,000 prize money.
"I am very sorry for what I did, it was not acceptable behavior and I am sorry," he said afterwards.
Former world number one Timo Boll of Germany delighted the home crowd as he defeated Jun Mizutani of Japan to claim third place.
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