Singapore Table Tennis Enjoys a “Year of Harvest” – Milestones, Medals, and Olympic Dreams
- SportPlus News
- Aug 15
- 3 min read
From Olympic breakthroughs to grassroots triumphs, Singapore’s paddlers deliver one of their most successful seasons in over a decade.
Singapore table tennis is riding a wave of success, with the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) celebrating what President Ms Poh Li San has called “a Year of Harvest”. The sentiment was shared at the STTA Annual Awards Night, held at the Emerald Ballroom, Novotel Singapore on Kitchener, where athletes, coaches, sponsors, and partners gathered to reflect on a phenomenal 2024 season.
Graced by Guest-of-Honour Ms Goh Hanyan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, the evening was a showcase of sporting excellence, grassroots growth, and renewed ambition heading into a busy competition calendar.
Olympic Firsts for Singapore’s Young Paddlers
2024 saw history made on the Olympic stage.
Izaac Quek, just 18, became the youngest Singaporean male table tennis player to qualify for the Olympic Games. His breakthrough season earned him Star Player of the Year.
Zhou Jingyi, 19, wrote her own chapter of history as the youngest local-born female player to qualify for the Olympics and the first to compete in the Women’s Singles event. She was named Youth Player of the Year.
Breaking Droughts and Reclaiming Titles
The year was also about breaking long-standing barriers:
Men’s Doubles comeback – Izaac Quek and Koen Pang ended an 11-year medal drought for Singapore, clinching silver at the 27th ITTF-Asian Table Tennis Championships — a first for a local-born pairing.
Women’s Team dominance – Singapore’s women’s team reclaimed the SEA Championship title after a decade-long wait.
Youth breakthrough – Loy Ming Ying earned a joint-bronze at the Asian Youth Championships U15 Girls’ Singles, an extraordinary result in a field dominated by China.
Rising Stars and Grassroots Growth
Singapore’s pipeline of future talent continues to thrive:
At the WTT Youth Contender circuit, promising youth paddlers delivered standout performances. Neo Cheng Ming won silver in both Vientiane and Senec in the U11 Boys Singles, earning him Hopes Player of the Year.
The U19 Mixed Doubles pair Ellsworth Le and Chloe Lai struck gold at the WTT Youth Contender San Francisco, adding to Singapore’s growing medal tally.
Coach Gao Ning was named Coach of the Year, credited for guiding Singapore’s male paddlers to landmark achievements at both the Asian and Olympic levels.
Three athletes — Loy Ming Ying, Ser Lin Qian, and Koen Pang — received Special Awards for their international performances.
Grassroots Champions: The Heart of the Pipeline
The Bishan Zone Training Centre and head coach Zhou Wen Yong were named Outstanding Zone Training Centre of the Year, a nod to their role in developing young paddlers from the grassroots.
The Crocodile Challenge Cup 2024 saw record participation — nearly 400 primary school students from 89 schools. Across six zone training centres islandwide, over 300 children receive structured coaching annually, many progressing to the junior squads and national team.
Eyes on the Future
With the Asian Championships in India and Asian Youth Games in Bahrain coming in October, followed by the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December, STTA is aiming to build on this momentum.
“These are not just medals and trophies — they represent over a decade of focused effort and investment in talent development,” said Ms Poh. “Harvest can only come after years of sowing and tilling. In 2025, we’ll keep training harder, competing fiercer, and flying the Singapore flag even higher.”
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