Paddlers Hit Historic Milestones

WTT Youth Contender Darwin 2024, 27th ITTF-Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024

October kicked off with a thrilling display of talent as Janelle Chiang took centre stage at the WTT Youth Contender Darwin 2024, held from 3 to 6 October 2024. The Secondary 2 student-athlete launched her competitive action on 4 October in the Under-17 Girls’ Singles event, where she faced an Australian opponent. Janelle dazzled the crowd with a commanding 3-0 victory in the quarter-finals, setting an exciting tone for the tournament.

Janelle returned to the court for the semi-finals against another Australian competitor. Despite a nervy start, she quickly regained her composure, taking control of the match and winning two consecutive sets. Ultimately, she fought valiantly but fell just short against her stronger opponent, finishing with a score of 2-3, and earning a well-deserved joint bronze medal. Janelle’s achievements didn’t stop there. She performed strongly in the Under-19 Girls’ Singles, securing another joint bronze medal.


Meanwhile, past and present student-athletes also made up a strong contingent of seven out of ten players representing Singapore at the 27th ITTF Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024. They included Clarence Chew, Izaac Quek, Koen Pang, and Nicholas Tan who were part of the men’s team, while Ser Lin Qian, Loy Ming Ying, and Zhang Wanling represented the women’s team.

At the Championships held in Astana, Kazakhstan from 6 to 13 October 2024, current student-athletes Izaac Quek and Koen Pang made headlines by clinching a historic silver medal in Men’s Doubles, marking the first such medal for a local-born duo since 2013. Their journey to glory featured thrilling victories over Japan in the quarter-finals and Malaysia in the semi-finals. Although they faced a tough challenge from South Korea in the finals, their remarkable achievement left the nation buzzing with pride.

“Getting an Asian championships silver medal just gives me more motivation to work harder and shows that Koen and me as a pair are improving towards the right direction,” shared Izaac in an interview with The Straits Times.

Koen added: “It was definitely a good experience, being able to play against top players and putting up some good results definitely will give me some motivation to work harder and get more results in the future.”

As the championships concluded, the Singapore men’s team finished 9th out of 24, defeating Saudi Arabia 3-1 in the playoff for 9th and 10th place. Despite their ranking, they emerged as the top ASEAN team, outshining rivals from Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

The women’s team also delivered an impressive performance, securing 8th place among 20 teams after a tough 3-1 loss to Thailand, the defending SEA Games champions, in their playoff match.