China headline entries for ITTF’s Asian Championships

There will be 116 men and 53 women competing at the Championships with entries from: China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macao and Thailand.

London 2012 Paralympic Games medallists are very much in evidence at the forthcoming ITTF Asian Para-Table Tennis Championships, to be staged in Beijing, China, beginning on Saturday (19 October) and running through Wednesday (25 October).

Seventeen players who secured the precious top prize at the ExCeL just over one year ago, will be present for the five-day tournament at the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities in Houshayu Town, situated in the Shunyi District of Beijing.

There will be 116 men and 53 women competing at the Championships with entries from: China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macao and Thailand.

Double-gold medallists

Predictably there is a strong representation from the host nation with notably Fan Pengfeng, Ma Lin, Liu Jing, Zhang Bian and Lei Lina all being in action.

In London, all five won gold in both the singles and team categories.

Leading ladies

Liu Jing won the women’s singles Class 1-2 and teamed with Li Qian, also present in Beijing, to win the women’s Class 1-3 title in London and will be back, hungry for more.

Similarly, Zhang Bian secured the top prize in women’s singles Class 5 and with Zhang Miao clinched the women’s team Class 4-5 crown. Zhang Miao is also competing in Beijing.

There are notable female players from China in the wheelchair classes, as Lei Lina is the one to beat. She won the women’s singles Class 9 in London and will no doubt partner with Yang Qian once again in the team events at the Championships. In the London, they joined forces to win the women’s team Class 6-10 title.

Outstanding male players

Meanwhile, for the men, Fan Panfeng won men’s Singles Class 3 at the London 2012 Paralympic Game,s and with Zhao Ping and Gao Yanming, claimed the top prize in men’s team Class 4-5. All are present in Beijing.

Likewise, Ma Lin struck gold in London in men’s singles Class 9 and with the player he will undoubtedly partner in Beijing, Ge Yang, claimed the men’s team Class 9-10 title.

Winners in London

Also on duty for China at the Championships will be London gold medallists, Miao Jingdian and Zhao Shuai. At the 2012 Paralympics, Miao Jingdan won the women’s singles Class 8; Zhao Shuai secured the top prize in men’s singles Class 8.

Names are a plenty, and there are more; Zhang Yan, Gao Ningning and Guo Xingyuan who won men’s team Class 4-5 gold in London appear on the Beijing entry list.

Champions from abroad

Reigning Paralympic gold medallists in South Korea’s Kim Youngun, Thailand’s Rungroj Thainiyom andtHong Kong’s Wong Ka Man are all in Beijing for the Championships as well.

Younggun won the men’s singles Class 4; Thainiyom was anointed the champion in men’s singles Class 6, and Ka Ma claimed the top prize in women’s singles Class 11.