When the Japanese are sending groups of promising young athletes to compete in various competitions, Team China won 1 gold medal only in 2016 WJTTC. Some cried out that China has ran out of juniors based on the their performance in 2016 WJTTC, which is too bad, but calm down, this performance won't set the tone for the rest of the quad. The depth of the Chinese team is pretty sweet. Niu Guankai is one of the exquisitely-talented juniors.
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| Photo: ITTF |
In the Asian Junior and Cadet Championships concluded 2 weeks ago, solid performances was given by 15-year-old Niu Guankai. He won 2 gold medals in the cadet boys' team and cadet boys' singles. Interesting to know that, he has not yet entered the national team. However with his outstanding performance in the past 2 Asian Junior and Cadet Championships, it will be surprising if he does not make to the national team in the coming 2 years.
Niu Guankai always has a keen interest in table tennis. At the age of 5 he urged his parents to enroll him into table tennis class. As he moved on to train at Henan Table Tennis and Tennis Sports Management Center, his mother was being very supportive and took care of his training and living. In 2011, he entered the Henan provincial team and has won numerous provincial and national level competitions.
A big chance had come in 2016 as the national team coach decided to choose a few young athletes from the youth training camp to represent team China in the cadet level in 2016 Asian Junior and Cadet Championships. After countless intense matches, Niu Guankai ended up eighth overall which the top 7 were national team members. Since Niu Guankai was the youngest player among the top 8, he was assigned to play in the championships.
In the championships, Niu Guankai lost to Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto in the cadet boys' team semifinals 1-3. However he retained his composure in the cadet boys' singles finals and won over Harimoto 4-1.
In 2017, he defended his titles in the Asian Junior and Cadet Championships and led the team to win the champion as well. He will also represent team Henan to play in the Chinese National Games too.
The following video is the cadet boys' singles finals in 2017 China Junior & Cadet Open where he (in red) played against compatriot Song Zhuoheng.
Competitive Highlights
International
2016 Asian Junior & Cadet Championships Cadet Boys' Singles Champion
2017 China Junior & Cadet Open Cadet Boys' Singles Champion
2017 Asian Junior and Cadet Championships Cadet Boys' Singles Champion
National
2015 Chinese Cadet National Boys' Team Champion
2016 Chinese Cadet National Boys' Team Champion
References:
"济源14岁乒乓小将牛冠凯首次参加国际比赛 勇夺亚洲冠军", Sina
"ITTF Statistics", ITTF
In the past month, the series has introduced 10 promising young Chinese athletes. I hope you like the Y2Klub series but sadly this series may take a summer hiatus as the Chinese National Games is approaching. Following this series, we will have throwbacks of the exciting table tennis matches from the past Chinese National Games and previews of the 7 events. Stay tuned and let me know your thoughts on the contender for the podium in each events! Thank you for following this blog!
Is there any one young player (male or female) that you think seems exceptionally promising? There's been some talk here or there about Xue Fei, but do you think he's the next one to step up to the big plate, or will someone else do it before him?
ReplyDeleteFor the women's side, Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu are leading the field of the Chinese young player. Whereas the men's side, my bet is on Wang Chuqin. He has the speed and power in his loops. Xue Fei is a penhold hopeful but I think the penhold technique (not just Xue Fei) needs innovation so that the penhold backhand can catch up with the aggressiveness and power that the shakehanders can play. What's your thoughts? Who will stand out in the coming few years?
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