The ITTF World Youth Championships 2024 concluded in spectacular fashion in Helsingborg, marking several historic milestones alongside exceptional performances across all categories.

Germany’s Annett Kaufmann wrote her name into the history books at the Under-19 Girls’ Singles final, becoming the first non-Asian champion in the category and securing Germany’s first-ever gold in Girls’ Singles. In an emotion-filled encounter, she claimed a memorable 4-2 victory (11-4, 1-11, 11-6, 11-6, 1-11, 12-10) over China’s Zong Geman

Kaufmann’s historical triumph was complemented by Hana Goda’s historic bronze medal – the first-ever U19 Singles medal for Africa at the ITTF World Youth Championships.

In the Under-19 Boys’ Singles final, China’s Huang Youzheng demonstrated exceptional skill to secure gold with a commanding 4-0 victory (11-8, 11-2, 11-0, 11-4) over teammate Wen Ruibo. The event also witnessed history as Brazil’s Leonardo Izuka claimed bronze, making it the first Singles medal won by a Pan-American at the ITTF World Youth Championships, sharing the podium with fellow bronze medallist Yuhi Sakai of Japan.

The Under-15 categories saw remarkable achievements, particularly from China’s Li Hechen who completed a perfect sweep of all four gold medals in Helsingborg. After earlier triumphs in Team, Mixed Doubles, and Doubles events, Li secured his fourth gold in Boys’ Singles with a 4-1 victory (11-5, 11-6, 11-4, 1-11, 11-7) over compatriot Tang Yiren.Another historic moment came as Iran’s Benyamin Faraji secured bronze – Iran’s first-ever medal at the ITTF World Youth Championships – alongside Korea Republic’s Lee Seungsoo.

In the Girls’ Under-15 Singles, top seed Yao Ruixuan demonstrated her superiority with a composed performance, claiming gold in straight games against Hu Yi with a 4-0 victory (11-9, 11-5, 11-3, 11-2). Chinese Taipei’s Chen Min-Hsin and Germany’s Koharu Itagaki rounded out the podium with bronze medals.

This championship has been a tremendous showcase of the sport’s future stars, orchestrated brilliantly by the Swedish Table Tennis Association. As we bid farewell to a thrilling and eventful ITTF World Youth Championships 2024, the aspirations of these young talents propel them towards the next chapter in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Table tennis enthusiasts can relive all the action on the World Table Tennis YouTube channel and find photos here.