Three Cheers For Koen

Koen Pang Yew En started 2019 on the right foot when he was promoted into Singapore National Table Tennis’ National Men’s Team on 1 January 2019. And when International Table Tennis Federation revised their rankings for January 2019, the 16-year-old found himself ranked 4th on the Men’s Under 18 world list. About two weeks later, the Singapore Sports School student-athlete was the tournament’s top athlete when he bagged 3 gold medals at the 2018 STTA National Table Tennis Grand Finale on 13 January.

The left-handed paddler earned his first victory with Wong Xin Ru in the Mixed Doubles. defeating alumnus Pang Xue Jie and partner Zhang Wanling. Wanling, like Xin Ru, are student-athletes in Sports School’s post-secondary through-train programmes. Koen then partnered Ethan Poh Shao Feng, another post-secondary paddler, in the Men’s Doubles before completing his hat-trick of golds by winning the Men’s Singles 4-0 against national teammate Josh Chua. Koen also won a bronze medal in the Men’s Team with schoolmates Andy Wong Yan Kai, Izaac Quek Yong and Nicholas Chong Xin Le.

It was Sports School’s youngest student-athletes that led the field in the Women’s Doubles event. Starlets Ser Lin Qian and Zhou Jingyi, Secondary 1 and 2 respectively, swiftly ended the final against post-secondary student-athletes Goi Rui Xuan and Wong Xin Ru in three sets for the top podium spot. Sports School’s paddlers claimed all rungs of the podium in the Women’s Doubles with Tan En Hui and Zhang Wanling, Jassy Tan Li Lin and Pearlyn Koh Kai Xin collecting the bronze medals.

Sports School’s student-athletes and alumni dominated the tournament, winning six out of seven contested events at the tournament from 3 to 13 January. They concluded the tournament with another 3 silver and 11 bronze medals.

Two other student-athletes – Goi Rui Xuan and Wong Xin Ru – were promoted into the national team alongside Koen. The three Sports School paddlers were among four youth paddlers that were given the step up STTA’s senior team.

RESULTS

Men’s Singles

1st – Koen Pang Yew En

3rd – Pang Xue Jie

Women’s Singles

3rd – Eunice Lim Zoe, Goi Rui Xuan

Men’s Doubles

1st – Ethan Poh Shao Feng and Koen Pang Yew En

3rd – Gerald Yu Zong Jun

Women’s Doubles

1st – Ser Lin Qian and Zhou Jingyi

2nd – Goi Rui Xuan and Wong Xin Ru

3rd – Tan En Hui and Zhang Wanling, Jassy Tan Li Lin and Pearlyn Koh Kai Xin

Mixed Doubles

1st – Koen Pang Yew En and Wong Xin Ru

2nd – Pang Xue Jie and Zhang Wanling

3rd – Tan En Hui, Eunice Lim Zoe

Men’s Team

1st – Ethan Poh Shao Feng and Tay Jit Kiat

2nd – Clarence Chew Zhe Yu

3rd – Andy Wong Yan Kai, Izaac Quek Yong Koen Pang Yew En and Nicholas Chong Xin Le

Women’s Team

1st – Goi Rui Xuan, Ser Lin Qian and Zhou Jingyi

3rd – Janissa Cheng Yoke Ning, Koh Jia Qi, Liu Sijia and Shana Tan Xin Qi

3rd – Jassy Tan Li Lin and Wong Xin Ru