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Ada Li

Olympic bronze medallist Minnie Soo Wai-yam has announced her retirement from table tennis, bringing an end to a glittering 12-year career.
Soo made the announcement on social media on Monday, and put her decision down to a failure to recover from a long-term injury.
The 27-year-old has suffered from a nerve problem in her right arm for the past six years, which made it difficult to even train before she won in Tokyo with the Hong Kong women’s team.
“Once, I dreamed of retiring [and] I woke up in tears, realising there were still unfinished dreams waiting for me,” Soo wrote. “Today, I shed no tears of regret, but with boundless gratitude for the friends, coaches, and people at the Sports Institute who have accompanied me through these 12 years of growth.
“I will still feel fear and confusion about the road ahead, but I am also full of anticipation.”












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by Minnie Soo 蘇慧音 (@minniesoo)



Soo began playing table tennis at just 3 years old, following in the footsteps of her father, Soo Chun-wah, a former Hong Kong team player.
Her talent meant that at 15, she made the decision to become a full-time athlete, giving up her studies at the prestigious Diocesan Girls’ School to join the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
Her biggest moment came at the Covid-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she helped Hong Kong upset Germany 3-1 in the bronze medal match.
Soo had not had a great record against Germany, but pulled out two singles wins against Han Ying and Shan Xiaona to secure a historic first Olympic medal for Hong Kong’s women alongside teammates Doo Hoi-kem and Lee Ho-ching.
“I never expected Soo to be the player to make the difference,” Li Ching, the head coach of the women’s team, said at the time. “She proved she has the ability and her previous defeat was mainly a mental problem.”
But there were physical ones too, with Soo battling focal dystonia, known as “Yips”, since 2019. The condition causes the muscles in her right arm to contract and stiffen while playing, which significantly disrupted her training, and made continuous movement difficult, while limiting her ability to compete.
The injury forced Soo to consider her future in the sport and she returned to education in 2022. Her last major appearance in international competition was the 2023 World University Games, where she helped the city secure bronze in the women’s team event.
She is currently majoring in physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where, according to her sister, she has been demonstrating an affinity for the subject.
“The road ahead may still be uncertain and daunting, but it is also full of hope,” Soo wrote in her retirement announcement. “One stage ends, and another begins.”


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Hong Kong Sports Institute

Hong Kong’s (from left) Lee Ho-ching, Minnie Soo Wai and Doo Hoi-kem celebrate winning bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: EPA-EFE

Hong Kong rower Chiu Hin-chun taking gold-plated confidence into National Games fight

Chiu Hin-chun, who took part in the 2024 Paris Olympics, said the standard at the National Games would be “very high”. Photo: AP

Quan Hongchan seals first diving gold of National Games for Guangdong, closes in on record

Quan Hongchan, right, and Wang Weiying helped Guangdong successfully defend the women’s team gold medal. Photo: Xinhua

International teammates Chen Yuxi (right) and Zhang Minjie represented Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

Hong Kong

Other Sport

Minnie Soo was part of Hong Kong women’s table tennis team that won historic bronze medal at 2020 Games


Minnie Soo was part of Hong Kong women’s table tennis team that won historic bronze medal at 2020 Games.


ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation)

Doo Hoi-kem

University of Science and Technology of China