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| Photo: takkyu-links |
Yu Heyi born and raised in Zhengzhou, Henan, got involved in table tennis by taking table tennis classes at the age of 6. He was selected to the Henan provincial team when he was 11, in 2011. 5 years later, he ranked third in the selection camp and made to the national team in 2016. In the same year, he represented Team China to play in various junior competitions and had some pretty good results.
Yet his debut in the 2016 World Junior Table Tennis Championships (WJTTC) was a disappointing one. He lost 2 points in the boys' team semifinals, losing 1-3 to Korean player, Cho Seungmin in the first match and another 1-3 in the last match to An Jaehyun. As a result, Team China missed out on WJTTC boys' team finals for the first time ever. It never rains but pours. Yu Heyi also missed the podium of boys' singles and boys' doubles taking home a bronze medal from the team event only. It was devastating but Yu Heyi managed to turn disappointment to motivation. He hangs the WJTTC medal next to his bed to remind himself not to make the mistake again.
In 2017, he was assigned to compete in the Asian Junior & Cadet Championships and made to the semifinals in junior boys' singles and junior boys' doubles. Despite losing to non-Chinese team players in the matches, he is making some progress. He also qualified to the men's singles, men's doubles and men's team in the Chinese National Games. Making to the team A within 2 years (counting from 2016 when he made to team B) has always been his goal and making to the top 8 in men's singles in the Chinese National Games is a way to achieve that goal. Let's see whether he will bounce back this year!
I really wish Yu Heyi can be a bit more consistent. Sometimes he plays some great loops but in most of the time he loses points for being too aggressive. This is also why I have a hard time to choose his match to show in this blog. Shown below is a junior boys' team final of 2016 Hong Kong Junior & Cadet Open. The match starts at 9:26:30!
Competitive Highlights
International
2016 Hong Kong Junior & Cadet Open-ITTF Golden Series Junior Circuit Junior Boys' Singles Champion
2016 Asian Junior & Cadet Championships Junior Boys' Singles 1st Runner-up
National
2015 Chinese Nationals Cadet Boys' Team Champion
2016 Chinese Nationals Junior Boys' Team Champion
2016 Chinese Nationals Junior Boys' Singles 1st Runner-up
References:
"南阳小伙进入国家乒乓球队", Sina
"ITTF Statistics", ITTF
"Korea Republic stuns China to set up final showdown with Japan in Cape Town", ITTF
One thing that I've been pondering the past year or so: is China experiencing a slump on the men's side at the moment, or are there just an unusual amount of late bloomers?
ReplyDeleteHere's how my thinking goes: ever since China bounced back in the 90's there's been a plethora of players striking gold on the big stage fairly early, and leaving their mark at a young age. Kong Linghui won worlds at 18; Liu Guoliang the Olympics at 19; Ma Lin made it to WTTC-final in -99 at age 20 (I think), and so on. In the past few years we've seen Ma Long blasting his way to a number one ranking when he was just 20, and Fan Zhendong has almost done the same (were it not for Ma Long's and ZJK's supremacy).
What's striking about all of these players is how they appeared seemingly out of nowhere, full of confidence and with both the capacity as well as the mindset to beat the best players in the world. You can see the same "lack of respect" in someone like Harimoto.
What I don't sense, however, is that the same goes for the current generation of young Chinese players (male players, that is). I was on site to see Wang Chuqin get pummeled out of the Swedish Open fairly early last year, for example, and the same went for his compatriots. They tensed up in a way I haven't really seen their "predecessors" do; I still remember my amazement when Fan Zhendong absolutely crushed VLadi and Dima one after the other at age 16.
It feels as though the new generation isn't really as "supreme" as the ones before. They didn't win WJTTC last year, which I gathered was unprecedented, and a team like Japan seems to be posing a bigger threat with each passing day. What are your thoughts on this?
Hi, Magnus! Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI think it is hard to compare the current situation with the days back in the 90's. Athletes nowadays are having a longer competitive career. Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui retired in their mid-20s but Wang Liqin, Wang Hao and Ma Lin did not retire until their mid-30s, whereas Ma Long is still very competitive in his late-20s. With the experienced athletes staying in the quad for a longer duration and other factors like the reduction of quotas in the Worlds may lead to fewer chances for the younger generation to gain experience and move up the ranks. As a result it may look like a seemingly late bloomer phenomenon.
Players do not appear out of nowhere, they show their potentials in junior competitions and national tournaments some of which we might unaware of. The victories they had from the past (confidence building) make them who they are today. I believe there are lots of untold stories behind every super talented table tennis star.
One match does not reveal the full picture. Fan Zhendong lost 2 points in the team event against Singapore in 2014 Asian Games. But it does not tell Fan Zhendong is not capable of being one of the best players in the world.
As I read from the news, in 2016, the Olympic year, national team coaches were busy preparing for the Olympics so most of the attention were put on the Olympics contenders rather than the younger generations. Chinese National Games is often considered as the hotbed of future stars. Who knows whether we will find the next Ma Long or Fan Zhendong in the Games?
Indeed the Japanese team are pouring lots of resources to nurture and prepare their young athletes for the Tokyo Olympics. They will be one of the biggest competitors of the Chinese team. I think it is a good thing to see that different countries are pushing the development of table tennis and leaving suspense in international competitions. After all, who wants to watch a one-country dominated sport?
I have trust in the Chinese team. As long as they keep on doing their technical analysis and competitive and intense training, they are capable of winning most of the medals in international meets.