03-07-2025
Historic bronze for Malaysia at Asian Youth Table Tennis
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's 36-year medal drought at the Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships finally ended on Wednesday, thanks to a breakthrough performance by rising stars Yaap Rui Zhe and Lam Ee Sim.
The unseeded pair bagged a historic bronze in the boys' Under-19 doubles in Tashkent, Uzbekistan — the country's first medal at the event since 1989.
Rui Zhe-Ee Sim fell 11-6, 11-9, 11-5 to Taiwan's Chang Yu An-Hung Jing Kai in the semi-finals but had already made history by reaching the last four.
In 1989, Malaysia had also claimed bronze — in the girls' team event.
En route to the semi-finals, Rui Zhe-Ee Sim defeated Japan's Yoshiyama Kazuki and Ryuusei Kawakami (11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8) and India's Bhattacharjee Ankur-Pradhivadhi Abhinandh (11-6, 6-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7) en route to the semi-finals.
The bronze marks another sign of resurgence in Malaysian table tennis, fuelled by a promising new generation.
Their success follows a string of encouraging results by their peers — most notably 13-year-old Dania Elisha Airul, now ranked world No. 2 in her age group after winning four WTT Youth Contender titles this year.
In April, Im Jin Zhen ended another long drought by winning gold in the boys' Under-19 singles at the Southeast Asian Youth Championships in Jakarta — Malaysia's first in over 30 years.
Rui Zhe, Ee Sim and Jin Zhen also helped the boys' Under-19 team take silver, while Gan Ai Lis-Lim Jing Shuen added to the medal haul by winning the girls' Under-19 doubles title.
