Paddlers bank on new 'recipe'

Paddlers bank on new 'recipe'

SINGAPORE - The squad may be younger and more inexperienced than ever before but it is hard for the national paddlers to lower their targets and expectations.

So, ahead of next week's World Team Table Tennis Championships in Tokyo, they remain hungry to taste similar success as they did in the past two editions.

"My target is definitely to lead the team to win a medal," said Singapore's top paddler Feng Tianwei yesterday during the team's visit to Rainbow Centre-Yishun Park School, in keeping up their annual tradition of doing community work before the world championships.

She added: "Right now, it's hard to say how far we will get in the tournament but I'm still quite confident in our team."

The world No. 7 will spearhead the charge of the national women's team together with Yu Mengyu (No. 18) and local-borns Isabelle Li (No. 159) and Yee Herng Hwee (No. 306).

Isabelle and Herng Hwee will be making their debuts in the team championships.

The Republic finished runners-up to China at the last edition in Dortmund in 2012, with a side featuring veterans Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu alongside Feng.

In 2010, the trio - together with Yu and Sun Beibei - clinched the world team title in stunning fashion, beating mighty China in the final in Moscow.

Li and Wang have retired but Singapore Table Tennis Association president Lee Bee Wah said: "Team spirit is at a high now.

"We know that the team now are in the process of strengthening... the ultimate aim is the 2016 Olympics. I'm still confident that we have a medal chance then."

Lee, who is also MP for Nee Soon South, noted that the up-and-coming stars had delivered promising results recently.

Yu won the women's singles bronze at the Asian Cup last month, finishing behind the two top seeds from China.

It was a timely boost for the Singapore team who are seeded fifth and are in Group C with South Korea, Russia, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Said head coach Jing Junhong: "I don't want to put any pressure on the players, I just want them to be able to find a breakthrough.

"We're not as strong as teams like South Korea but we have the confidence to put up a fight.

"You may not win even if you're confident, but without confidence, winning is even more unlikely."

This article was published on April 23 in The Straits Times.

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