Paddlers Gain Beyond Medals

2019 ITTF World Cadet Challenge

The 2019 ITTF World Cadet Challenge in Władysławowo, Poland, brought together like-minded Table Tennis players in their formative years to compete and learn from one another over the 8-day event held from 23 to 31 October 2019. Amongst the competitors were Singapore Sports School’s Lower Secondary student-athletes, Izaac Quek Yong, Ser Lin Qian and Zhou Jingyi.

The events were played by teams representing their respective continents, the host team from Poland and a representation of the Hopes Team. Izaac and Lin Qian both represented the Hopes Team, while Jingyi was part of the Asia Team.

Before the teams began their campaigns on 26 October, the players practised under the expert guidance of one of Poland’s table tennis legends, Leszek Kucharski. The training session was complemented by two educational sessions where they were taught on some of the winning tactics and tools of top ranked players that will set them apart from the others.

Following this, the teams finally put their focus at the competition with all three Sports School paddlers receiving their first win on 27 October. Izaac landed one silver at the Cadet Boys’ Team event while Lin Qian and Jingyi bagged a silver and bronze respectively at the Girls' Team event. Izaac concluded the last day of the competition on a high note with a gold in the Mixed Doubles event and silver in the Boys’ Doubles event.