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South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong pair told to work on mental toughness ahead of 2028 LA Olympics
Doo Hoi-kem and Wong Chun-ting need to work on their mental toughness if they were to still be competitive at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, head coach Li Ching said on Saturday. A fourth bronze medal in the mixed doubles at this week's ITTF World Table Tennis Championships, came despite Li acknowledging that the pair, who have been together for a decade, had been 'thoroughly studied' by their rivals, making any competition increasingly challenging. Still, the Hongkongers reached the semi-finals in Doha before being comfortably beaten 3-1 to Japan's Satsuki Odo and Maharu Yoshimura. And having praised the pair's fighting spirit and determination, Li said he was asking for more from his charges. 'They could still fight on,' he said. 'There is always room for improvement in techniques and strategies. But mentality counts even more. 'It's all about sheer determination, willpower and their obsession with table tennis, they need to put in more effort.' Doo and Wong's first world championships as a pair was rewarded with a bronze in 2015, followed by more medals in 2017 and 2023.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
World Table Tennis Championships: coach says Hong Kong pair are underdogs in semi-finals
Hong Kong head coach Li Ching said the city's mixed doubles pair of Doo Hoi-kem and Wong Chun-ting would come out as underdogs for their semi-final at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Doha, Qatar on Friday. The Hong Kong pair will play Satsuki Odo and Maharu Yoshimura of Japan for a spot in the final, and Li said he viewed their opponents as favourites despite the Hongkongers' better head-to-head record. 'It wasn't surprising that they have made it this far, but it wasn't assumed either,' said Li, who won a bronze medal at the worlds alongside Ko Lai-chak in 2007. 'I have to praise their fighting spirit and their determination. 'They gave absolutely everything and probably just have half a life left because of the arrangement of the fixtures. You've seen how the players have had to travel between two arenas for their matches and let's not forget Wong is 33 years old already.' Matches are played at Lusail Sports Arena and Qatar University Sports Complex, which are 15km apart. Li also said it was an 'unexpectedly smooth' win over Maria Xiao and Alvaro Robles, with the No 3 seeds from Hong Kong breezing past the Spaniards 11-1, 11-5, 11-7 in just over 19 minutes on Wednesday.
