A total of ten Chinese names on the entry list for the four-day ITTF Korea Para Open 2023, play commencing in the factor 40 tournament in Ulsan on Friday 18th August, it is not the largest national entry in terms of numbers but in sheer quality it is without parallel.
Overall, taking into consideration both singles and team events, members of the group own no less than 41 Paralympic Games medals; even more staggering is that 35 are gold!
The star name for the men is Feng Panfeng (class 3), he has seven gold and one bronze Paralympic Games medal in his collection; starting in Beijing in 2008, he has won men’s singles gold in every edition of the prestigious quadrennial tournament!
Amongst the women, Liu Jing (class 2) is a class apart; eight medals, all gold and like Feng Panfeng, winner on the most recent four occasions.
Close behind on the Chinese women’s entry in Zhou Ying (class 4) and Zhang Bian (class 5); each owns seven gold medals.
Favourites for gold but one member of the Chinese women’s team that might well prove a name to note is Jin Yucheng (class 6).
New to the international arena, she reached the women’s singles’ quarter-finals earlier this year in Slovenia; in Ulsan she may well upset the seeding. She is only 15 years old.
Impressive medal hauls but the player on duty in Ulsan who owns the most Paralympic Games medals, is not representing China. Now in the colours of Australia, Lei Li Na (class 9) possesses no less than 10 such medals of which six are gold.
Similarly, her colleague Yang Qian (class 10) has seven Paralympic Games medals, two being gold.
Major challengers for podium places, as also from Australia are Melissa Tapper class 10) and Samuel Von Einem (class 11). Alongside Lei Li Na and Yang Qian, Melissa Tapper secured bronze in women’s team class 9-10 in Tokyo; Samuel Von Einem emerged a men’s singles silver medallist at the Paralympic Games in both 2016 and 2020.
Oceania represented; however, as anticipated it is an opportunity for Asia.
Thailand’s Rungroj Thainiyom (class 6), gold medallist in 2012, competes, as do players in form earlier this year. Winners in the Czech Republic in June, Indonesia’s Adyos Astan (class 4) plies his skills in the men’s events, as does Japan’s Nonaka Hazeyama (class 11) in the women’s competition.
Furthermore, for Nonaka Hazeyama, there could be a repeat final; colleague Natsuki Wada plays in Ulsan, the player she beat in the Czech Republic final.
Also, the name of Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Ming-Chih (class 5), the winner in Taichung appears on the entry list; a situation that applies to Iraq’s Najlah Al-Dayyeni (class 6), gold medallist in June in both Jordan and Taichung.
Not to be overlooked there is a host of players from Korea Republic who have won major titles.
Joo Youndae (class 1), winner of men’s singles class 1 in Tokyo competes as do five men and three women who emerged gold medallists at the Andalucia 2022 World Para Championships in Granda.
The names of Nan Kiwon (class 1), Kim Gitae (class 11), Kim Junggil (class 4), Kim Youngun (class 4) and Park Jincheol (class 4) appear on the men’s list; for the women Seo Suyeon (class 4), Seo Yanghee (class 4) and Yoon Jiyu (class 3) are listed.
Meanwhile, from farther afield, Spain’s Ander Cepas (class 9) and Jorge Cardona (class 9), finalists in March on the Costa Brava, the former the winner, compete. Likewise, from the other side of the Pacific Ocean Mexico’s Edith Sigala (class 3), the winner in June in the United States, will
No less than 128 men and 75 women compete in Ulsan, the men’s singles and women’s singles events commence matters.
