Vladimir Samsonov has admitted that he is "disappointed" to have missed out on gold in the men's table tennis singles at the European Games in Baku.
The Belarusian was 2-0 up at the start of the gold-medal match, but Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov fought back to inflict a 4-3 defeat on the world number nine.
The 39-year-old told reporters: "Of course I'm a bit disappointed but it's OK to lose to someone like him. You have a lot of ups and downs in sport and I have lost so many matches in my career.
"In the end you know there are more important things like family and health. I'll be playing the match over and over in my head for a few days, but after that I'll just enjoy the silver medal.
"I'll try to play two more years, go to Rio next year, and then we'll see."
Samsonov is a two-time Olympic quarter-finalist, and has won 26 world tour events, including the Qatar Open earlier this year.
Written by
Sian Cowper
Sian Cowper
