ITTF No.4 (Jan) Final (2023_01_12)

WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS
China Challenged, Medal Haul Widens
Aname to note for the next decade,
Lin Shidong emerged the most
successful player at the 2022 ITTF
World Youth Championships staged in
Tunis from Sunday 4th to Sunday 11th
December.
In the under 19 age group, alongside
Chen Yuanyu and Zeng Beixun he
enjoyed boys’ team success but did not
gain results that suggested he would be
the star man. At the semi-final stage
he was beaten by Felix Lebrun in a 3-2
success against France, in the final
he experienced defeat at the hands of
Maciek Kubik as a 3-1 win was recorded
when facing Poland.
However, those were to prove the sum
of his defeats; later he added the mixed
doubles title partnering Kuai Man, the
boys’ doubles in harness with Chen
Yuanyu, before concluding proceedings
standing on the top step of the boys’
singles podium.
Thus, considering the event’s
forerunner, the ITTF World Junior
Championships first staged in 2003 in
Santiago, he became only the third male
player to complete the clean sweep.
Likewise, from China, Fang Bo achieved
the feat in 2009 in Cartagena de Indias,
Xue Fei in 2017 in Riva del Garda.
Imposing from Lin Shidong, in the
counterpart under 19 female events, it
was the same from Miyuu Kihara, her
efforts a show of character. Alongside,
Miwa Harimoto and Haruna Ojio, a 3-2
penultimate round defeat had been
the outcome in the team event against
China; in the opening match of the
fixture, she had lost to Kuai Man, in the
vital concluding contest she experienced
defeat by the very narrowest of five
game margins when opposing Chen Yi.
Furthermore, one year ago in Vila
Nova de Gaia, Miyuu Kihara had lost
to Kuai Man in the girls’ singles final;
in Tunis, she settled the debt. At the
semi-final stage she accounted for her
nemesis, before clinching the title at
the final expense of Miwa Harimoto, the
player with whom one day earlier she
had secured girls’ doubles gold. Notably,
Miwa Harimoto had ousted Chen Yi
in the penultimate round to record a
second success against the Chinese
teenager; earlier she had emerged the in favour of China but only just, it was
winner in the team event clash.
similar in the girls’ singles semi-finals,
The results underlined the fact that wins for China but in each contest
the current Japanese female generation six games needed. Yan Yutong, who
presents a major challenge to China’s progressed to secure the title, turned
supremacy; a fact endorsed in the the tables, she beat Rin Mende, Xiang
under 15 age group. In the girls’ team Junlin overcame Yuna Ojio.
final, the result went in favour of China Success for Yan Yutong meant she
by the same 3-2 margin as in the more departed Tunis with three titles to her
senior event; the Japanese wins being name; earlier she had joined forces with
recorded by Rin Mende, she beat both Xiang Junlin to claim girls’ doubles gold.
Ding Yijie and Yan Yutong. The verdict
Historic win for Alan Kurmangaliyev and Hana Goda
A first ever medal for Australia
Pecking Order
Team success for China, it was a full
house; represented by Huang Xunan,
Kang Youde and Wen Ruibo, China won
the under 15 boys’ team event. The result
meant they ended proceedings with nine
gold medals, Japan with two, second in
line, the pecking order reflecting the history
of the tournament.
Since the first ball was hit in Santiago,
the likes of Ma Long, Zhang Jike and
Li Xiaoxia on duty, China has been the
dominant force in the medal count;
Japan some distance behind in second
place. Overall, allocating 0.5 if in
doubles partnering a player from a
different member association, China
has now won 235 medals (111 gold, 52
silver, 72 bronze), for Japan 108 is the
total (21 gold, 37.5 silver, 49.5 bronze).
No other member association passes the
100 mark.
Somewhat differently, France, whose
only prior gold medal was one year ago
in the under 15 boys’ doubles when
Felix Lebrun partnered Japan’s Sora
Matsushima to success, more than
doubled their tally in Tunis, Flavien
Coton emerged the under 15 boys’
singles winner.
Also, in same age group, Hana Goda
added to Egypt’s gold medal collection.
The girls’ doubles winner one year
earlier partnering Miwa Harimoto, she
joined forces with Kazakhstan’s Alan
Kurmangaliyev to secure mixed doubles
gold. A third medal in the World Youth
Championships for Hana Goda, in 2021
she had finished the girls’ singles runner
up, a performance she was not able to
repeat in Tunis; she was beaten in a
full distance seven games second round
encounter by Korea Republic’s Yoo
Yerin. A close call but she could depart
Tunis knowing she was the equal of the
very best; in a 3-2 last eight girls’ team
defeat against China, she beat both
Ding Yijie and Yan Yutong.
Meanwhile, for Alan Kurmangaliyev,
under 15 boys’ singles semi-finalist, his
medals were the first of any colour for
Kazakhstan in the history of the annual
tournament. He was welcomed home a
hero, the country’s President, Kassym-
Jomart Tokayev, sent a telegram of
congratulations.
Flavien Coton
Miyuu Kihara
Samuel Arpas
Groundbreaking for Kazakhstan, it
was the same for Slovakia, Samuel
Arpas partnered Hungary’s Balasz Lei to
under 15 boys’ doubles gold. A first for
Slovakia, it was a first gold for Hungary.
In 2009 in Cartagena de Indias, Daniel
Kosiba and Dora Madararsz secured
mixed doubles silver, prior to that date
in 2005 in Linz, represented by Barbara
Barasso, Li Bin, Mariann Juhasz and
Szandra Pergel, the same colour medal
had been the outcome in the girls’
team competition. One year later in
Cairo it was bronze, Li Bin and Szandra
Pergel once again on duty, the line-up
was completed by Timea Varga and
Alexa Svitacs; the latter name gold
medallist in women’s singles class 9 at
the recent Andalucia 2022 World Para
Championships.
Lin Shidong
Rin Mende
Yan Yutong
Likewise, Australia made their first
appearance on the medal table.
Selecting Bae Won, Nie Chulong and
Aditya Sareen, they finished under 15
boys’ team runners up, after having
caused the tournament’s biggest upset.
At the semi-final stage they recorded
3-1 win again France, both Nie Chulong
and Aditya Sareen accounting for Flavien
Coton. Later, Bae Wong and Nie Chulong
secured boys’ doubles bronze, beaten by
Samuel Arpas and Balasz Lei.
In Tunis, 18 ITTF member associations
won medals, one less than in 2021,
the first occasion when the most senior
age group limit rose one year to under
19 and the under 15 age group was
introduced. Moreover, if only the under
19 events in the most recent two
additions are considered, the number of
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