Pirate Galaxy » tended to argue a lot with each other whereas the old

RIO DE JANEIRO -- When 19-year-old American Yijun Feng played Spaniard Zhiwen Juanito He on Saturday, Feng entered the table tennis match with a slight but unusual advantage, despite being outranked and lacking comparable experience.Decades ago, He and Fengs 58-year-old coach, Massimo Constantini, were rivals.I used to get killed right away, Constantini said of his matches against the 54-year-old He, one of the oldest athletes in Rio de Janiero.All these years later, He still had it, handily beating Feng four games to two in the opening round of the Olympics.Experience matters in table tennis.Youthful strength, daring and stamina rule in many Olympic sports, but table tennis often rewards the deep experience that can only be won with hundreds of hours of practice and match-play. Older players thrive with a close, even devious attention to strategy, a determination to study and then exploit an opponents weaknesses and a gritty refusal to panic under extreme pressure.Run down the list of players at the Rio Olympics and youll see the proof. While there are 16 and 15-year-old phenoms in the lower levels, the top ranks are mostly in their late 20s and 30s; a fair number of qualifiers are in their 40s and even 50s.You need a lot of concentration, rather than a lot of physical strength in this sport, said 40-year-old Vladimir Samsonov, a former top-ranked player from Belarus. He is still in the top 10 and an outside medal contender in Rio.You definitely slow down after you hit 25, but experience counts for a lot in table tennis, Samsanov said.Older players can keep going because the game values skill and technique, according to Constantini, the U.S. coach and a former Olympian who played on the Italian national team until he was 37. He likens the game to a chess match.Table tennis is often as much mental as physical; older players are good at slowing the pace of the game to take away a younger opponents speed and power, forcing errors with spin and trickery, and encouraging lapses in concentration with frustrating defensive tactics.Older players have also benefited from a flurry of changes in recent years, including a bigger ball and games now played to 11 instead of 21 points. Theres also plenty of time to catch their breaths during and between games in the best-of-seven matches.Earlier Saturday, 53-year-old Ni Xia Lian from Luxemburg faced Brazils Caroline Kumahara, 21, and a massively partisan crowd which erupted in thunderous cheers for every Kumahara point. Ni kept calm and won a 4-3 thriller.When the pressure is high, at 10-10, and you can feel the stress, the mature player is much cooler. Its palpable, Constantini said. You can almost touch the feeling of calm because they have been there many, many times before.Samsonov, who is seeded seventh in Rio, no longer practices as many as eight hours a day, as he did in his 20s. He relies more on stretching and yoga, along with the knowledge that he has put in countless hours of practice over the years.And then theres Fengs opponent on Saturday, He.The left-handed Spaniard, who plays an old-school penhold style, is a master of the mental game, using his vast experience to deceive and fluster his opponents.Feng, ahead of the match, repeatedly called Hes style of play disgusting because its so unpredictable and so at odds with the attacking style of many young players today.In the end, Feng said the match came down to the Spaniards legendary serve, which, like that of many other older athletes, poses serious problems for younger players not used to such a wicked array of spin techniques.The Spaniard shrugged after the match when asked how he has been able to maintain his skills for so long.I take good care of myself, He said with a smile. I dont drink and I dont smoke.---Online:AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org/--Foster Klug, APs bureau chief in Seoul, South Korea, is covering table tennis and badminton in Rio. Follow him at www.twitter/apklug Collin Sexton Jersey . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Terrell Brandon Jersey . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. https://www.thecavalierslockerroom.com/Brandon-Knight-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Kevin Love Cavaliers Jersey . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Dylan Windler Cavaliers Jersey . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Bostons clubhouse was buzzing about David Ortizs high-and-deep homer in the first inning, a drive that provided the winning margin as the Red Sox moved close to a postseason berth in the sluggers final season.Ortiz hit a two-run shot to set the RBI record for a player in his final year, and the AL East-leading Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Friday night for their ninth straight win.Its not all about the distance, Ortiz said after the 411-foot drive. Its about scoring runs and make sure we put us in position to win the game.Ortizs 37th homer came off Chris Archer (8-19) and raised his RBI total to 124, one more than Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1920. The 40-year-olds 540th homer, his 300th on the road, struck an overhanging catwalk above the right-field seats.Im used to the ball going over the fence but that far, I dont think you really ever get used to that, teammate Mookie Betts said. Hes just doing what he always does.When asked if hes thinking about 40 homers, Ortiz said with a laugh Im 40.Coming off four-game sweeps of the New York Yankees and Baltimore, the Red Sox have a 5 1/2-game lead over second-place Toronto in the AL East. They lowered their magic number to two for clinching a playoff berth.Drew Pomeranz (3-5) allowed one run and four hits in five innings. Brad Ziegler, the fifth Boston reliever, got his fourth save after allowing a leadoff double in the ninth to Evan Longoria.Red Sox set-up man Koji Uehara and closer Craig Kimbrrel were both given the night off after extensive use recently.ddddddddddddArcher set a Tampa Bay record for losses in a season, breaking the mark Tanyon Sturtze set in 2002. He has lost 11 straight decisions against Boston since beating the Red Sox in his first career start against them on Sept. 19, 2012.It stinks whenever youre on the mound for so many team losses, Archer said.Ortiz appeared to have his 524th double with the Red Sox, which would have moved him within one of tying Ted Williams for second on the franchise list, but was called out at second base in the seventh after Tampa Bay challenged the original safe call. He was credited with a single.Mikie Mahtook hit a solo homer in the second for the Rays.TRAINERS ROOMRed Sox: Knuckleballer Steven Wright (shoulder) threw at 120 feet on flat ground and might have a bullpen session Sunday.Rays: OF Steven Souza Jr. was in the clubhouse, two days after left hip surgery and expects to be ready for spring training.MORE BIG PAPIOrtiz has 35 homers at Tropicana Field, the most of any opponent.UP NEXTRed Sox RHP Rick Porcello (21-4) will face Rays RHP Matt Andriese (8-7) Saturday night. Porcello has gone seven innings or more and allowed three runs or fewer in 11 consecutive starts, which ties Cy Young (1904) and Pedro Martinez (2000) for the long stretch in a single season in team history. ' ' '