by Simon Daish
Four players have been selected to represent Australia in the Hungarian capital city, fielding participants in all five competitions.
Heming Hu is one of two athletes competing on the Men’s Singles front for Australia and is no stranger to the big stage.
Twice appearing at the Commonwealth Games Heming Hu was crowned 2018 ITTF Oceania Cup Men’s Singles champion in Port Vila, Vanuatu on his tournament debut to seal his spot at the Liebherr 2018 Men’s World Cup where he did battle with some of the best players the world has to offer. It’s fair to say Hu’s strongly equipped for whatever challenge comes his way in Budapest.
Joining Hu in the Men’s Singles draw is Kane Townsend, a player who has also experienced the pressures that come hand-in-hand with top level tournament action having represented his country at the Commonwealth Games, Team World Cup and World Team Championships.
Leading Australia in the Women’s Singles event is Melissa Tapper, who became the first Australian athlete to qualify for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games at Rio 2016.
Last year Tapper took home the Women’s Singles Class 6-10 gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and was recently presented with the Governor’s Award Victorian Female Athlete of the Year for her outstanding contribution to sport.
Australia’s other representative in the Women’s Singles event is Michelle Bromley, a key member of the team that earned promotion to the Women’s Championship Division at the 2012 World Team Championships and donned the yellow and green colours with pride last year as she featured in two categories at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Heming Hu and Kane Townsend will compete together in the Men’s Doubles event with Melissa Tapper and Michelle Bromley partnering up in the Women’s Doubles draw, a pairing that proved most profitable at the 2018 ITTF Oceania Championships. In the Mixed Doubles Hu sides with Tapper while Townsend and Bromley form another duo.
Watch Team Australia in action by purchasing your tickets for the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships:
