Wong Chun-ting pays back with interest at world table tennis championships

Hong Kong paddler goes from zero to hero at tournament in Suzhou

Reading Time:2 minutes

Hong Kong's Wong Chun-ting (front) and Doo Hoi-kem secured a bronze medal in the mixed doubles. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:15pm, 30 Apr 2015Updated: 11:49pm, 30 Apr 2015

It has been a steep learning curve for Hong Kong player Wong Chun-ting.

He has hit a purple patch at the table tennis world championships in Suzhou, China, combining with Doo Hoi-kem to secure a bronze in the mixed doubles after they lost 4-1 to the China/South Korea combination of Xu Xin and Yang Ha-eun in the semi-finals on Thursday night. And earlier on Thursday, he made it to the last-16 of the men’s singles after a 4-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7) win over Dane Jonathan Groth.

He has strong willpower and always believes in himself. If he keeps working hard, it will pay off

Chan Kong-wah, Hong Kong head coach

But not so long ago, the 23-year-old Wong was at the centre of a blame game in the Hong Kong team.

At the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, last year, his defeat by Chen Chien-an, of Taiwan, in a quarter-final clash cost the Hong Kong men’s team a medal. In the best-of-five tie, he was beaten 3-2 and conceded the final game 12-10 after deuce. At last year’s world team championships in Tokyo, Wong was beaten by little known Clarence Chew Zhe Yu, of Singapore, and Hong Kong failed to make the knockout stage.

Wong’s defeat at the Asian Games event was crucial because the men’s team then lost out on a tier A elite training grant. “There were many frustrating results before he reached where he is,” said head coach Chan Kong-wah.