Wong Chun-ting pays back with interest at world table tennis championships
Hong Kong paddler goes from zero to hero at tournament in Suzhou
It has been a steep learning curve for Hong Kong player Wong Chun-ting.
He has strong willpower and always believes in himself. If he keeps working hard, it will pay off
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.
