by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager

The 19 year old did not enjoy the best of fortunes in the Men’s Singles event when losing to Northern Ireland’s Paul McCreery but in both Men’s Team and Men’s Doubles competitions he fell just one step short of a medal.

Alongside Gao Ning and Pang Xue Jie, it was defeat against England in the bronze medal Men’s Team fixture; in the Men’s Doubles partnering Pang Yew En Koen, India’s Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty thwarted hopes of a podium finish. Notably, at the quarter-final stage Ethan Poh Shao Feng had beaten Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Segun Toriola, the no.3 seeds.

“I am grateful and thankful that the Singapore Table Tennis Association has given me this opportunity to be promoted to the national team. This marks just the beginning for me and I will continue to work hard to bring glory for Singapore”. Ethan Poh Shao Feng

Notably Ethan Poh Shao Feng started playing table tennis at the Singapore Table Tennis Association Toa Payoh Zone Training Centre when five years old, later he joined the Junior Development Squad and practised in the training hall alongside national players. Eventually he progressed to the Singapore Sports School and now plays on a full-time basis whilst also pursuing a Diploma in Business Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

“We are very pleased to have Ethan Poh joining the national team. We are delighted that our development pathway for young Singaporean paddlers to pursue a career in the table tennis sport is showing success. The Singapore Table Tennis Association has always been committed to growing the sport and introducing more Singapore born players in the national team. We are focused on a gradual push and we hope that more young Singaporeans will follow the footsteps of Ethan to play table tennis professionally.” Ms Ellen Lee Geck Hoon PBM, President Singapore Table Tennis Association

In addition to the recent Commonwealth Games, most notably Ethan Poh Shao Feng represented Singapore at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur.