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August 16, 2004 9:17 am

First Olympics has table-tennis player hungry for more

By MARIBEL VILLALVA

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece -- 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.

``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.

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