In 1996, a 20-year-old Belarusian table tennis player named Vladimir Samsonov made his Olympic Debut in Atlanta. As far as debuts go, it could certainly be filed under "auspicious." The debutant Samsonov reached the quarterfinals, taking China's eventual silver medalist Wang Tao to the full five games. And so it would go for twenty years. Samsonov became one of the most consistent players of all time, with the second-longest residence in the world top ten (15 years, trailing only Sweden's Jan-Ove Waldner) and the second-most ITTF Pro Tour titles (27, trailing only China's Ma Long). Being statistically likened to two legitimate candidates for the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) title gives you some idea of the caliber and longevity of Samsonov's game. Despite such consistent excellence, however, Samsonov has only realized his potential in one of the three "Grand Slam" events, winning the World Cup three times. His best individual effort at the World Championships was a silver medal in 1997 (when an unstoppable Waldner claimed gold without dropping a single game the entire tournament), and he lost the Olympic bronze medal match in 2016 to Jun Mizutani of Japan. Despite such frustrations, Samsonov reaped another dividend of dedication when he qualified for the 2020 Olympics by dint of his ITTF world ranking. With the wild card invitation, Samsonov was poised to join the fabled "Seven Club" (i.e. the four men and one woman who have played table tennis in as many Olympics). Now, however, comes the news that Samsonov has withdrawn from the Tokyo Games. No reason was given. While this is a disappointment to Samsonov's many fans worldwide, it is a windfall for Paul Drinkhall of Great Britain, who finished on the bubble at April's European Olympic Singles Qualification Tournament in Portugal. The lucky Drinkhall now ascends to claim the final Olympic berth. Whatever the reason for Vladimir Samsonov's withdrawal, it would be unwise to count him out. Granted, many of the Olympians this summer were not even born when Samsonov first flew the Belarusian flag on sport's grandest stage. While 45 is comparatively old for Olympic table tennis, Ni Xia Lian will represent Luxembourg this summer in Tokyo at 58 years of age. Both have long since debunked the popular myths about the necessity of age-related decline. Still ranked 29th in the world, there is no reason Samsonov could not still join the "Seven Club" at the 2024 Paris Olympics, a mere three years away.

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