Each day, a welcoming smile greeted everyone; whether players, coaches or officials, when arriving at the Cairo International Stadium for the recently completed 4th ITTF World Junior Championships.

It was a spirit that continued throughout each and every day; it was the tireless spirit of the volunteers.

Japan’s Kenta Matsudaira won the Boys’ Singles title at the 4th ITTF World Junior Championships in Cairo on Sunday 17th December 2006, beating China’s Xu Ke in a final between two players who are still young enough to compete in the cadet age group category.

Kenta Matsudaira is fifteen years old, whilst Xu Ke is fourteen; incredibly, in a tournament for players under the age of eighteen two cadets contested the gold medal.

It was a contest full of exciting topspin rallies with Kenta Matsudaira winning 11-5, 10-12, 11-9, 7-11, 13-11, 11-9.

Feng Yalan won the Girls’ Singles title at the 4th ITTF World Junior Championships in Cairo on Sunday 17th December 2006 and in so doing created a first.

She was the only player, boy or girl, never suffer a singles defeat in Cairo but that’s not the first. Strangely, she is the only right handed player to win the Girls’ Singles event at an ITTF World Junior Championships. Furthermore, it was nearly a fourth left hander who captured the title; in the final she beat the left handed Wen Jia; Feng Yalan won 7-11, 11-8, 14-12, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6.

China’s Jiang Haiyang and Wu Hao won the Boys’ Doubles title at the 4th ITTF World Junior Championships in Cairo on Sunday 17th December 2006.

In a six games final they beat their national team colleagues, Xu Ke and Xu Ruifeng in the final.

Jiang Haiyang and Wu Hao won 11-6, 3-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8.

Seventeen year old Mu Zi from Liaoning in China ended her participation in the 4th ITTF World Junior Championships in Cairo with three gold medals to her name.

Earlier in the week she had been a member of the successful squad of players who had won gold in the Girls’ Team event, on the final day of play, Sunday 17th December 2006, she added two more golds to the tally.

The margin in sport between winning and losing is small and when chances arise it’s important to take those chances.

In the first Boys’ Singles semi-final at the 4th ITTF World Junior Championships in Cairo on Sunday 17th December 2006, Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov didn’t grasp the opportunities when they arose, Kenta Matsudaira did.

Kenta Matsudaira beat Dimitrij Ovtcharov 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 4-11, 11-5, 15-13, 11-8.