The Y2Klub: Shi Defeats Miu Hirano Twice In 2016 WJTTC, Shi Xunyao

There is a Chinese saying, "As in the Yangtze River, the waves behind ride on the ones before" which implies the younger generations excel the old. We are seeing more and more players of the millennial generation showing up in the international scene. The Y2Klub series will introduce the next generation of Chinese players and some are ready to be among the established stars. Here is a little introduction of 16-year-old Shi Xunyao.

Photo: The Cover

Thanks to ITTF holding table tennis competitions in all over the world, many young talented kids are inspired by these matches and Shi Xunyao is one of them. 

16 year-old Shi Xunyao from Jiangsu started playing table tennis at the age of 6. Not long after she started to learn table tennis, her parents brought her to watch the 2007 China Open which was held in Nanjing, Jiangsu and has inspired her to be a better table tennis player from then on.

Shi Xunyao consistently topped the podium in provincial and regional competitions early on. She was the Nanjing's girls' champion every year from 2009 through 2011 and ranked first to make to the Jiangsu provincial team in 2011. 5 years later, she was selected to the national team as she ranked overall no.1 in the selection camp. In the same year, she became the only Chinese to win gold in the 2016 World Junior Championships, beating Soo Wai Yam, Minnie in the junior girls' singles finals. 

Shown below is the highlights of the match where she played against Miu Hirano in 2016 World Junior Championships in girls' team finals.

Miu Hirano has made huge in the past years and winning medals in Asian Championships and World Championships. While Shi Xunyao who defeated Miu Hirano has not yet made her senior debut internationally as there are too many good athletes in China. However in 2017, she made a step further, defeating World medalist, Mu Zi in the Chinese National Games Prelims in the second round of women's singles. Despite not making to the main draw of the Chinese National Games in women's singles, we will find her competing in women's team, representing Team Jiangsu. She will also play in the Asian Junior & Cadet Championships and upcoming World Junior Circuit in Hong Kong. Keep an eye on her as her potential is yet to reveal to the world.


Competitive Highlights:
International
2016 China Junior & Cadet Open-ITTF Golden Series Junior Circuit Cadet Girls' Singles Champion
2016 Asian Junior & Cadet Championships Cadet Girls' Singles Champion
Sun International 2016 World Junior Table Tennis Championships Junior Girls' Champion

National
2014 Chinese Cadet Nationals Girls' Team Champion
2015 Chinese Cadet Nationals Girls' Team Champion


References:
"石洵瑶：喜欢蛇静的时候的安静，动的时候的敏捷！『乒乓世界』", Table Tennis World
"无锡乒乓球小将石洵瑶入选国家乒乓球队二队", Wuxi Municipal Bureau of Sports
"ITTF Statistics", ITTF


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