SEA Games 2023: Koen Pang, Izaac Quek win men’s table tennis doubles gold

PHNOM PENH – Koen Pang and Izaac Quek were the balm for their teammates’ pain on Sunday, as they delivered the SEA Games men’s table tennis doubles gold for Singapore on a day when their other doubles pairs faltered.

The duo, ranked No. 28 in the world, beat Malaysia’s Javen Choong and Wong Qi Shen 3-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-8, 11-4) at the Morodok Techo National Stadium Table Tennis hall to retain the title which Clarence Chew and Ethan Poh won in Hanoi in 2022.

Poh and Beh Kun Ting shared the bronze with Filipinos Richard Gonzales and John Misal.

The Singapore Table Tennis Association had tweaked the line-ups as the SEA Games organisers mandated that each player can participate in the team event and only two out of the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events.

Following a mid-match wobble, Pang, 21, and Izaac, 16, fended off the pesky Malaysians to regain control and reeled off six straight points at the end to seal victory in emphatic fashion.

Pang, who threw his bat into the air in delight after clinching gold, said: “We prepared well and felt very confident throughout the match. Even though we lost the second game and trailed in the third, we stayed calm and took down the third game, which was very crucial.

“It feels good to win the men’s team and now the doubles gold.”

Izaac, who had to swat away a fly that was buzzing around his leg several times during the final, added: “I felt sad for my teammates who lost close finals earlier, but there was no added pressure to win. I was focused on my warmup, routines and preparing myself for our final.

“This doubles win in my first SEA Games individual event final will give me a boost for the men’s singles and I will continue to play with nothing to lose.”

A pall had cast over the Singapore camp after Chew and Zeng Jian lost 3-1 (13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 14-12) to Vietnam’s Dinh Anh Hoang and Tran Mai Ngoc in the mixed doubles final.

They had built a 10-3 lead in the first game, were level at 8-8 in the second, and had two game points in the fourth. But they became passive and squandered them all to settle for silver at consecutive Games. They finished behind teammates Pang and Wong Xin Ru last year.

A disappointed Chew, 27, said: “Leading by a big margin in the first game, we took our foot off the gas and were hesitant in a few shots. As we lost a few points in a row, doubts start to creep into our minds.

“Losing the first game was quite damaging to us. It gave them a lot of confidence and they could play more freely... We tried to find ways to come back, but it wasn’t enough.”

The Republic were then defeated in the women’s doubles final, although the result was less of a surprise as Zhou Jingyi and Wong lost 3-0 (11-4, 15-13, 11-7) to Thailand’s defending champions Suthasini Sawettabut and Orawan Paranang.

The Thai duo had also swept Zeng and Zhou in the 2022 final, and Goi Rui Xuan and Ser Lin Qian in the semi-finals.

Summing up Sunday’s performances, national women’s team coach Jing Junhong said there is a lot of work to be done to catch up with their regional rivals.

She said: “For the mixed doubles, we were too conservative, and losing the first game in such a manner was a massive blow. Zeng Jian’s form was not great, and made some errors, which put Clarence under stress as well. Such things happen. I just hope they can learn from this experience on how to cope better with the pressure in the future and improve.

“Even though the Thais’ levels are better than us in the women’s doubles, we fought well. It is not impossible for us to surpass them. We need to work hard, but we also need time.”

Understandably, national men’s team coach Gao Ning was more upbeat. He said: “As a pair, Koen and Izaac are combining well and have done well to reach the world’s top 30 as a pair. We will continue to prioritise their development and help them fulfil their potential.”