Padders seek AUG glory

NTU’s IVP table tennis captains to compete at AUG in July

By Sean Loo

Tan Yi Zhong (left) and Lim Yi Xuan (right) will be going for table tennis glory at the ASEAN University Games in July. PHOTO: NICHOLAS YEO

Five of NTU’s paddlers will feature in Singapore’s 10-strong contingent at the upcoming ASEAN University Games (AUG) table tennis competition, which will take place here in July.

Among the five are Tan Yi Zhong, 22, and Lim Yi Xuan, 20, who are the university’s Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic table tennis men’s and women’s captains respectively.

The other five players in the Singapore team are students from National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).

To be held at NTU’s Sports and Recreation Centre from 12 to 17 July, the biennial competition will pit the best university athletes in South East Asia against each other.

Tan and Lim are expecting to face off against national paddlers, some of whom are already playing in the professional circuit.

First-year Nanyang Business School student Tan, who will be making his debut at an international tournament, said: “Our AUG opponents will probably be much faster, with better stamina and skills as compared to the opponents whom we’ve faced at local competitions like the A Division.”

Lim, a former national youth paddler, is no stranger to competing in international tournaments — the seasoned athlete has taken part in at least two editions of the Southeast Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships, ASEAN School Games and Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships.

But the first-year School of Biological Sciences student believes she will face her toughest competition yet at the AUG.

“We are just university students who don’t really train as often compared to them,” she said.

“The opponents in the AUG will be more experienced than those I’ve faced before.”

Balancing training and studies

The Republic’s AUG paddlers started their training in March with several friendly matches against Malaysian state teams.

Since then, they have been training three to four times a week, with each session lasting four hours.

Tan believes the frequency of training sessions will increase nearing the competition, and admitted that it will be a challenge having to manage training and school work.

“I’ve got to make sure I complete my work and everything else that needs to be done before going for training, because after training, I’ll most likely not have enough energy to complete my work,” he said.

Both Tan and Lim have a clear idea of what they need to improve on as the clock ticks down to the start of the Games.

While Tan will be looking to build his strength to deliver more powerful strokes, Lim’s focus will be on improving her speed and stamina.

Lim feels that her match stamina is still not up to scratch. She plans to improve her stamina by running during her free time on top of the official AUG training sessions.

On the other hand, Tan said he would need to adjust his playing style when playing against different opponents.

“Against stronger players, I need to ramp up my offence and take the initiative to attack at the first opportunity,” he added.

Going for the medal

Unfazed by the prospect of tough opponents, Tan and Lim are gunning for a podium finish.

“I just want to win a medal at the AUG,” said Lim, as Tan nodded vigorously.

Lim may have seven medals from international competitions under her belt, but an AUG medal would definitely be a cherished victory, she added.

Explaining the significance of medalling at the AUG, she said that it would be her first time competing in a non age-restricted tournament. The previous international competitions she took part in were at the Under-18 level or below.

Tan believes his best chance at winning a medal is the individual doubles event, but insisted that his first priority is to enjoy the sport during his first appearance at an international tournament.

“It’s not all about results.

“When I enjoy the game, I can play without feeling stressed, and I find it much easier to return the ball to the table.”