Table tennis player Paul Drinkhall to miss Tokyo Olympics after qualifying loss
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Drinkhall became only the third Briton in history to reach the last 16 stage of the singles at Rio 2016
British table tennis player Paul Drinkhall has missed out on a place at the Tokyo Olympics after losing in the play-off for the final European spot.
The 30-year-old, who competed at London 2012 and Rio 2016, was beaten 4-2 by Pavel Sirucek of the Czech Republic.
The Czech went 2-0 up before Drinkhall levelled the match but Sirucek pulled clear once again for victory.
Drinkhall had earlier lost 4-1 to Ovidiu Ionescu of Romania in the semi-final but earned a second chance.
He had been hampered by a thigh injury against Ionescu and needed a medical timeout in the second game.
Sam Walker and Charlotte Carey's hopes of qualifying for the Olympics are also over after defeats the previous day.