Paddlers On A Winning Streak
ITTF World Youth Championships
STTA Youth Championships
Izaac Quek Yong and Ser Lin Qian (both Secondary 4) were on roll to secure a bigger win. At the ITTF World Youth Championships held in Portugal from 2 to 8 December 2021, the duo won three bronze medals, the biggest haul for Singapore at the tournament. Singapore's previous best result at the tournament was in 2019, when past student-athlete Koen Pang Yew En clinched the U18 boys' doubles bronze with teammate Josh Chua.
At the U15 Boys’ Singles on 8 December, boys’ U15 World No. 3 Izaac defeated local favourite Tiago Abiodun with a score of 4-1 (11-2, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5) in the round of 16, and swept Belgium's world No. 6 Tom Closset 4-0 (11-3, 11-6, 11-3, 11-5) before his final meeting at the tournament with Japan's Sora Matsushima. He eventually picked up a shared bronze with France’s Felix Lebrun after losing 4-0 (11-8, 12-10, 12-10, 11-8) to his Japanese opponent.
Lin Qian had similar encounter at the U15 Girls’ Singles where the girls' U15 world No. 5 beat Germany's world No. 2, Annett Kaufmann 4-2 (4-11, 11-13, 11-6, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7) in the quarterfinals. She eventually shared a bronze with India's third-ranked Saini Suhana after losing 4-1 (11-6, 12-10, 11-4, 7-11, 11-7) to Japan's Miwa Harimoto.
Both Izaac and Lin Qian also teamed up for the U15 Mixed Doubles where they lost 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 11-8) to eventual champions Sora and Miwa in the round of 16. Izaac took the last bronze in the Boys' Doubles event where he teamed up Taiwanese Chang Yu-an.
Speaking of her experience at the tournament, Lin Qian shared in an interview with The Straits Times: “I'm glad to have the chance to play in this tournament where many top young players are participating and end my U15 competitions with a podium finish. Regardless of the results, every match was a tough one. Hopefully with the experience and exposure, I'll be able to train harder and come back stronger."
Back home, Sports School’s paddlers put up a strong performance at the STTA Youth Table Tennis Championships 2021, especially in the U15 Boys’ Singles where the Sports School team took all top three positions on the podium. In total, the team won 8 medals – 3 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze from the two-day tournament held on 18 and 19 December. The 3 gold medals were secured by Ellsworth Le (Secondary 2) who took the U15 Boys’ Singles title, Andy Wong Yan Kai (Diploma in Business Studies Year 2) and alumna Zhou Jingyi who took the U19 Boys’ and Girls’ title respectively.
Speaking of his experience and performance at the tournament, Ellsworth shared: “One key takeaway from the competition is that I need to be more confident, an area I need to work on before the next competition. Overall, I was satisfied with my performance and I hope to improve my level of play.”
RESULTS
ITTF World Youth Championships
U15 Boys' Singles
Joint 3rd – Izaac Quek Yong
U15 Girls' Singles
Joint 3rd – Ser Lin Qian
U15 Boys’ Doubles
Joint 3rd – Izaac Quek Yong (with Taiwanese Chang Yu-an)
STTA Youth Table Tennis Championships 2021
U15 Boys’ Singles
1st – Ellsworth Le
2nd – Zhou Jinghe
Joint 3rd – Jayden Tan Kai Yang
Joint 3rd – Koh Junhao
U19 Boys’ Singles
1st – Andy Wong Yan Kai
U19 Girls’ Singles
1st – Zhou Jingyi
Joint 3rd – Janissa Cheng Yoke Ning
Joint 3rd – Cassandra Chew Jing Wen
STTA Youth Championships
Izaac Quek Yong and Ser Lin Qian (both Secondary 4) were on roll to secure a bigger win. At the ITTF World Youth Championships held in Portugal from 2 to 8 December 2021, the duo won three bronze medals, the biggest haul for Singapore at the tournament. Singapore's previous best result at the tournament was in 2019, when past student-athlete Koen Pang Yew En clinched the U18 boys' doubles bronze with teammate Josh Chua.
At the U15 Boys’ Singles on 8 December, boys’ U15 World No. 3 Izaac defeated local favourite Tiago Abiodun with a score of 4-1 (11-2, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5) in the round of 16, and swept Belgium's world No. 6 Tom Closset 4-0 (11-3, 11-6, 11-3, 11-5) before his final meeting at the tournament with Japan's Sora Matsushima. He eventually picked up a shared bronze with France’s Felix Lebrun after losing 4-0 (11-8, 12-10, 12-10, 11-8) to his Japanese opponent.
Lin Qian had similar encounter at the U15 Girls’ Singles where the girls' U15 world No. 5 beat Germany's world No. 2, Annett Kaufmann 4-2 (4-11, 11-13, 11-6, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7) in the quarterfinals. She eventually shared a bronze with India's third-ranked Saini Suhana after losing 4-1 (11-6, 12-10, 11-4, 7-11, 11-7) to Japan's Miwa Harimoto.
Both Izaac and Lin Qian also teamed up for the U15 Mixed Doubles where they lost 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 11-8) to eventual champions Sora and Miwa in the round of 16. Izaac took the last bronze in the Boys' Doubles event where he teamed up Taiwanese Chang Yu-an.
Speaking of her experience at the tournament, Lin Qian shared in an interview with The Straits Times: “I'm glad to have the chance to play in this tournament where many top young players are participating and end my U15 competitions with a podium finish. Regardless of the results, every match was a tough one. Hopefully with the experience and exposure, I'll be able to train harder and come back stronger."
Back home, Sports School’s paddlers put up a strong performance at the STTA Youth Table Tennis Championships 2021, especially in the U15 Boys’ Singles where the Sports School team took all top three positions on the podium. In total, the team won 8 medals – 3 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze from the two-day tournament held on 18 and 19 December. The 3 gold medals were secured by Ellsworth Le (Secondary 2) who took the U15 Boys’ Singles title, Andy Wong Yan Kai (Diploma in Business Studies Year 2) and alumna Zhou Jingyi who took the U19 Boys’ and Girls’ title respectively.
Speaking of his experience and performance at the tournament, Ellsworth shared: “One key takeaway from the competition is that I need to be more confident, an area I need to work on before the next competition. Overall, I was satisfied with my performance and I hope to improve my level of play.”
RESULTS
ITTF World Youth Championships
U15 Boys' Singles
Joint 3rd – Izaac Quek Yong
U15 Girls' Singles
Joint 3rd – Ser Lin Qian
U15 Boys’ Doubles
Joint 3rd – Izaac Quek Yong (with Taiwanese Chang Yu-an)
STTA Youth Table Tennis Championships 2021
U15 Boys’ Singles
1st – Ellsworth Le
2nd – Zhou Jinghe
Joint 3rd – Jayden Tan Kai Yang
Joint 3rd – Koh Junhao
U19 Boys’ Singles
1st – Andy Wong Yan Kai
U19 Girls’ Singles
1st – Zhou Jingyi
Joint 3rd – Janissa Cheng Yoke Ning
Joint 3rd – Cassandra Chew Jing Wen
