China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha beat North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong 4-2 in the table tennis mixed doubles final at the Paris Games on Tuesday, the first step in what could be a Chinese gold medal sweep in the sport.

The victory also marks the first gold for Wang, 24, and Sun, 23, who attracted many traveling fans to cheer them on in France. It's also a moment of redemption for China's table tennis dream team, which have won 33 of the 38 golds since the event was introduced to the Summer Olympics in 1988, but missed out on the inaugural mixed doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

"I think both sides performed exceptionally well in today's final. Facing the mixed doubles loss at the Tokyo Olympics and coming to this point, I am very grateful to everyone on our team over the past three years," said Sun.

North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong took the silver as their country returned to the Olympics after not participating in Tokyo. Meanwhile, South Korean pair Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin beat Hong Kong's Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi Kem 4-0 to claim bronze.

Unknown to their rivals, Ri and Kim, both first-time Olympians, had few words to say about their journey from playing through the qualifiers all the way to securing a silver medal in the mixed doubles event.

"We prepared a lot for the Olympics. We had been in contact with the Chinese team, which is the world’s best. Of course it wasn’t enough at the end. We did have good performance but there are some regrets," said Kim.

China's world No. 1 pairing Sun and Wang were on top from the start and took the first game 11-6 before the battling North Koreans claimed the second game, 11-7. However, the Chinese then tightened the screws and moved ahead 3-1.

The North Koreans fought back again to make it 3-2 before the match reached a climax in the sixth game. North Korea won an intense rally to make it 8-8, but eventually conceded game point with China seizing the chance to win 11-8.

South Korea dominated the bronze medal match, but in the fourth game, when they thought it would be an easy victory, the Hong Kong team showed their resilience, briefly taking the lead by one point. Ultimately, they fell short and lost to the South Koreans 14-12.

China's former great Deng Yaping, who won four Olympic gold medals, was in attendance to cheer on the Chinese team.

FULL RESULTS

China's 24-year-old table tennis player Wang was overjoyed after securing his first Olympic gold medal on Tuesday.

But his elation soon turned to disbelief, anger and frustration when he discovered that his paddle — crucial for his singles and team events — had been damaged by excited photographers rushing to capture the moment.

Visibly upset, Wang tried to ask for an explanation. His coach tried to hug him in an effort to console him and ask him to stay calm.

Wang soon regained his composure despite the setback.

"They didn't do it on purpose. Since it already happened, there is nothing much I can do about it. I will try to play well with my backup paddle," Wang said, still visibly affected by the incident. "Maybe this is fate."

The duo, who have now claimed the mixed doubles gold medal that China missed out on in Tokyo, are among the most popular athletes in China with a loyal following.

Many fans expressed anger towards the photographers on China's social media Weibo.

With little time to celebrate their victory, Wang is set to face Swedish player Truls Moregard in the men's singles Round of 32 on Wednesday and will compete against India in the team event starting Aug. 6.