Blue is the color, that is the opinion of Mateja Pintar of Slovenia, the No.1 seed and defending champion in the Women's Individual Class 3 competition in the Table Tennis events at the Peking University Gymnasium.
The Slovenian has had her hair dyed blue just for the Paralympic Games because it is her favorite color and believes it may bring her good luck.
It seems that the theory is valid.
In her group stage match against Fanny Bertrand of France, she trailed by two games nil before recovering to win the next three and gain success.
"I didn't have the right feeling for the ball at the start of the match; luckily I felt better and better as the match progressed", said Pintar. "My opponent played very well today. She is one of my major opponents. I've played against her several times this year and it's always been tough."
It was tough and luck did not play a part, it was sheer determination that brought the Slovenian victory.
"I tried to stay calm when I was losing and not think about the score", continued Pintar. "After the first two games my coach advised different tactics, that's why I was able to turn the match around."
The unbeaten record of Pintar in Women's Individual events continues; in 2000 when the Paralympic Games were held in Sydney she had never played Table Tennis, soon after the Sydney Games, she suffered an accident and decided to try the indoor sport in 2001. At her first attempt in Athens, she won. And in Beijing, the run continues.
(BOCOG September 8, 2008)