Table Tennis: Feng Tianwei named S'pore Table Tennis Association's Player of the Year

Feng Tianwei has been named Player of the Year by the Singapore Table Tennis Association. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

SINGAPORE - It has become somewhat of a formality, but Feng Tianwei was named Sportswoman of the Year at the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA)'s annual Keppel-STTA Awards Night on Friday.

The world No. 8 had been named Player of the Year five previous times.

Feng's highlight of 2015 came at the Asian Cup, where she upset China's world No. 1 Liu Shiwen to lift the singles title. It was Feng's first continental title and ended China's eight-year winning streak in the event.

She also won a bronze at the Asian Championships, becoming the only non-China player to make it to the final four. Feng also paired Yu Mengyu in the women's doubles event to win a bronze at the World Championships.

The men's team's Gao Ning was named Sportsman of the Year. Singapore's highest-ranked men's singles player (No. 21) won three golds at last year's SEA Games.

Former national women's team head coach Jing Junhong was named Outstanding Coach of the Year, for leading the Republic's team of women paddlers to success at the Asian Cup, Asian Championships, World Championships and SEA Games. She was redeployed to head youth development last November, following an internal fallout with the players.

Coach Liu Jiayi, the newly appointed head coach of the men's team, was named Supportive Coach of the Year. He previously took charge of the women's team, before German-Chinese Chen Zhibin was appointed this week.

Lin Ye, who won the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour Grand Finals Under-21 women's title, was named the Young Player of the Year. The national men's team won the Team of the Year award.

The national paddlers head to Kuala Lumpur to compete in the World Team Table Tennis Championships, before a crucial Asian qualifier in April and the Olympic Games in August.

Said STTA president Ellen Lee: "Our paddlers will continue to work hard and aim to bring greater sporting glory to Singapore. We are filled with much excitement and anticipation and we are looking forward to the world's greatest sporting event."

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