NATIONAL DUTY: KDTTA chief coach Chua Khiaw Lian (centre) poses with Tan (left) and Tsai after the duo received their prizes for winning the Girls U-15 and Boys U-13 titles respectively. — Photo by Davidson Kho
KUCHING: Two junior paddlers under the Kuching Division Table Tennis Association have been selected to represent Malaysia at the ASEAN Primary Schools Sports Olympiad (APSSO) in Jakarta next month.
They are Derrick Tsai Chang Fung from SJK Chung Hua No 3 and Andrea Tan Ruen Yuen from SJK Chung Hua No 2.
“The duo are selected based on their excellent performance at the Malaysian Schools Sports Council table tennis championship this year where they won the U-12 boys singles and girls singles gold medals respectively,” said KDTTA president Helena Wee.
She hoped that Tsai and Tan will perform up to expectations at APSSO and win glory for the state and country.
Wee said the two players were products of the KDTTA junior development programme and they would form the back-up squad for Sukma in 2014 and 2016.
“Since KDTTA was formed in 1958, it has come a long way and since 1998, we have produced 13 players for the national junior squad and three players for the senior team,” Wee said at the closing of the KDTTA Kuching Age Group table tennis competition at Taichi Centre at Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho yesterday.
“Our players have also won 53 gold medals in individual events at the national championships and Sukma,” she added.
Wee attributed the success of the junior development programme to the strong support and cooperation from the parents, sponsors as well as the commitment and hard work of the players.
“It is not easy for us to train the players because they have to juggle their time between studies and playing table tennis,” she pointed out.