First Olympics
experience has Mishawaka table tennis player hungry for more
By Maribel Villalva, Gannett News Service
ATHENS
— Five years ago, Mark Hazinski decided he wanted to dedicate his life to
one thing: table tennis.
Only 14 at the time, Hazinski chose home
schooling over traditional high school so he could dedicate more time to the
sport.
Monday, just minutes after he and doubles
partner Ilija Lupulesku lost to Chinese Taipei in men's doubles, Hazinski wiped
the sweat from his forehead and declared his unconditional love for the sport
that took him to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
"I love the game, and this experience has only
intensified my love for table tennis. It feels amazing playing out there," said
Hazinski, now 19.
It's been two days of mixed emotions for
Hazinski, a native of Mishawaka, Ind. Hazinski and Lupulesku won their first
match Sunday over a Nigerian team 4-0.
"Winning our first game was a great feeling," he
said.
But the ride ended with Monday's 4-1 loss to
Chi-Yuan Chuan and Peng-Lung Chiang.
Coach Dan Seemiller said the two teams were
closely matched, despite the players from Taipei being ranked fifth and 14th in
the world as individuals.
"It was a tough loss. I really felt it could
have been anybody's game," Seemiller said. "Technically, we outplayed the other
team, but we did miss some crucial balls."
Lupulesku, 36, said he and Hazinski played well
together.
"We played this same team a month ago at the Pro
Tournament and we played much better this time around. Every game was very
close."
Lupulesku said his young doubles partner is a
talented player with great potential, but to compete with the world's best he'll
need to dedicate himself to an intense practice regimen.
"He's still young. He still has a chance to be
one of the best in the world," Lupulesku said.
Hazinski said he has traveled more than 30 times
outside of the United States for training, including a trip to Tokyo alone when
he was 14. One week after returning to the United States from the Olympics, he
will leave for a three-month stint in Germany to train.
Now that he has this Olympic experience under
his belt, he's ready to focus on qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
In preparing for Athens, Hazinski looked to
Lupulesku for guidance. This is Lupulesku's fifth Olympics, but his first for
the United States. He won a silver medal in men's doubles for his native
Yugoslavia in 1998 at Seoul.
"He has really been a mentor to me because of
all of his experience," Hazinski said. "He allows me to feel more confident in
my playing."
Seemiller has coached Hazinski since he was 11.
He said seeing his student become an Olympian is a career highlight for him, but
now the training only gets harder.
"Now we know he can play with the best in the
world," Seemiller said.
