China's dominance in table tennis is hardly headline news. When someone manages to beat them, especially at a "Grand Slam" event (i.e. Olympics, World Championships or World Cup), it is a "stop the press" moment. Such was the case in Athens 2004 when South Korea's Ryu Sueng-min (pictured) beat China's Wang Hao for the men's singles gold. A traditionalist one-side-only penholder with explosive footwork and a crushing forehand, à la his coach Kim Taek-soo before him, Ryu's improbable victory represented the last time any country but China claimed a gold medal in table tennis at the Olympics. Of the 32 gold medals, only four escaped China's grasp: two in 1988, one in 1992 and Ryu's Cinderella story in 2004. In other words, only Ryu disrupted China's perfect Olympic run from 1996-2016. After making Olympic history, Ryu retired as a player and joined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2016. Since 2019, Ryu has also served as president of the Korea Table Tennis Association (KTTA). Unfortunately, Ryu travelled all the way to Tokyo before learning he could not participate in this year's Games. "It is with great disappointment that I have to inform you that I will not be able to attend the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 at present," Ryu reported on Facebook. "Despite having been fully vaccinated with two doses, and I got the 2 times negative result in COVID-19 test and having taken my departure tests when leaving [South] Korea, however I tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival at Narita airport this afternoon." The 38-year-old Ryu was as surprised as anyone to hear the news. "I am completely asymptomatic which probably has to do with the fact that I am vaccinated," he reported. Now a seasoned national representative, Ryu found the silver lining in the unfortunate news. "My case is just another proof that the system put in place to protect all of us is effective," he pointed out. The 2020 Olympics face innumerable challenges. While it remains to be seen whether the Games can be successfully staged during a pandemic, Ryu Seung-min's story shows both the undiscriminating nature of the virus, as well as the extreme measures needed to survive it.

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