SEA Games paddlers inspired

Singapore's Myanmar-bound table tennis players found inspiration yesterday during a special clinic held at the Singapore Table Tennis Association's (STTA) Toa Payoh headquarters.

The table tennis event at this year's South-east Asia (SEA) Games begins on Dec 16 in Naypyidaw, and Singapore paddlers Yu Mengyu, Isabelle Li and Pang Xue Jie sparred with their counterparts from the Table Tennis Association for the Disabled Singapore (TTADS).

Among the TTADS contingent was Jason Chee, the 30-year-old naval serviceman who lost his left arm and both legs in a ship accident last year.

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Chee, who got to meet and spar with his idol Feng Tianwei, is part of a team of eight who will represent Singapore in Naypyidaw at the ASEAN Para Games next month.

Singapore's SEA Games table tennis squad are made up of eight paddlers who will do battle in the men's and women's singles and men's and women's team events.

The target is for at least three gold medals and national women's team coach Jing Junhong believes they are ready.

"For the doubles in the team event, we will choose the pairs depending on the opponents we are up against," said the former Olympic singles semi-finalist.

"We have prepared our players to face different styles and we also have to see what happens in the draw."

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