Both "J-O" and "The Apple" were major profiles in the Swedish table tennis national team during the 1980s and 1990s. Together with current national team captain Jörgen Persson, the duo won several World Championship gold medals in team events. Late on Wednesday evening, they sat in different parts of Stockholm and watched Sweden's thrilling comeback against Japan in the Olympic Games semifinal in Paris.
Over 100 text messages poured in, it's completely crazy. What a comeback, says Waldner to Aftonbladet.
It's so incredibly huge. The biggest thing that has happened here at the Olympic Games for Sweden. Actually, even bigger than Truls' final, says Appelgren to the newspaper.
Truls Möregårdh (silver medalist in singles earlier during the Olympic Games), Kristian Karlsson, and Anton Källberg turned a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 victory, and the big hero Källberg, ranked 24th in the world, also turned a 0-2 deficit in sets into a 3-2 victory in the final singles match against world number nine Tomokazu Harimoto. Sweden thereby secured its first historic Olympic medal in table tennis team events.
I said that if Anton turns it around now, it's a sick achievement, and then he does it. Finally, he got to show what he can do. It was magical, and then everyone gets to win a match. You can't win in a better way, it's a dream in a team match, says Waldner.
On Friday at 3 pm, either China or France awaits Sweden in the final.
