Young Paddlers Polished At Championships
2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships
It was a fruitful outing for Izaac Quek Yong (Secondary 4) at Chengdu, China, as he made his debut at the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships, held from 30 September to 9 October 2022. Izaac was part of the all-Sports School Men’s Team, consisting of four others – Andy Wong Yan Kai (Diploma in Business Studies, Year 3), and alumni Beh Kun Ting, Clarence Chew Zhe Yu and Koen Pang Yew En.
Despite not winning any medal for Singapore, the Championships was a prestigious competition for him. He had the opportunity to play against top players in the world and gain exposure from it. “The game against Chinese Taipei was the most memorable takeaway for me. I managed to score the first point and helped the team win the match. This win proved to me that my training and hard work have paid off, and I am slowly getting used to playing in the Men’s event instead of Juniors,” shared Izaac, who is transiting to playing in higher-level games.
He added: “This competition definitely gives me some confidence to win against stronger opponents in the World Youth Championships in December, and I hope to do well there.”
Meanwhile, Sports School alumnae, Goi Rui Xuan, Wong Xin Ru, Zhang Wanling, and Zhou Jingyi, also dominated the 5-member Women’s Team. They were placed into Group 4, along with South Korea, Thailand, Luxembourg, and Iran. Their team topped the group to secure a place in the Round of 16 where they beat the Czech Republic with a solid 3-1 to progress to the quarter-finals. The team was eventually knocked out of the Championship as they fell to Chinese Taipei 3-2 in the quarter-finals. The competition was an improvement for the team as the young debutants had outdone the 2018 performances by Feng Tian Wei, Yu Mengyu and Lin Ye who lost 3-2 to Ukraine in the Round of 16.
Men’s Team
Andy Wong Yan Kai
Beh Kun Ting
Clarence Chew Zhe Yu
Izaac Quek Yong
Koen Pang Yew En
Women’s Team
Goi Rui Xuan
Wong Xin Ru
Zhang Wanling
Zhou Jingyi
Photo Credit: STTA Facebook
Despite not winning any medal for Singapore, the Championships was a prestigious competition for him. He had the opportunity to play against top players in the world and gain exposure from it. “The game against Chinese Taipei was the most memorable takeaway for me. I managed to score the first point and helped the team win the match. This win proved to me that my training and hard work have paid off, and I am slowly getting used to playing in the Men’s event instead of Juniors,” shared Izaac, who is transiting to playing in higher-level games.
He added: “This competition definitely gives me some confidence to win against stronger opponents in the World Youth Championships in December, and I hope to do well there.”
Meanwhile, Sports School alumnae, Goi Rui Xuan, Wong Xin Ru, Zhang Wanling, and Zhou Jingyi, also dominated the 5-member Women’s Team. They were placed into Group 4, along with South Korea, Thailand, Luxembourg, and Iran. Their team topped the group to secure a place in the Round of 16 where they beat the Czech Republic with a solid 3-1 to progress to the quarter-finals. The team was eventually knocked out of the Championship as they fell to Chinese Taipei 3-2 in the quarter-finals. The competition was an improvement for the team as the young debutants had outdone the 2018 performances by Feng Tian Wei, Yu Mengyu and Lin Ye who lost 3-2 to Ukraine in the Round of 16.
Men’s Team
Andy Wong Yan Kai
Beh Kun Ting
Clarence Chew Zhe Yu
Izaac Quek Yong
Koen Pang Yew En
Women’s Team
Goi Rui Xuan
Wong Xin Ru
Zhang Wanling
Zhou Jingyi
