MACAO (TVBS News) — Taiwanese veteran table tennis player Chuang Chih-Yuan (莊智淵) announced on Wednesday (Sept. 11) that he will no longer participate in the WTT China Smash, choosing instead to focus on nurturing young talent.
This decision follows his recent match at the WTT Champions Macao, where he lost 2-3 to China's Xu Ying-bin (徐瑛彬) in the first round and failed to advance to the men's singles round of 16.
Chuang revealed to ETtoday News (ETtoday新聞雲) that he hadn't practiced for a month after the Olympics, which allowed him to play more relaxed during the competition.
The player emphasized his future commitment to developing young players.
At this year's Olympics, the 43-year-old Chuang competed alongside his student Kao Cheng-Jui (高承叡), who performed excellently. This mentorship highlights Chuang's dedication to fostering the next generation of table tennis players.
Meanwhile, three Taiwanese players advanced to the round of 16 at the WTT Champions Macao. Cheng I-Ching (鄭怡靜) will face Thailand's Orawan Paranang, while Lin Yun-Ju (林昀儒) and Kao Cheng-Jui (高承叡) will compete against Sweden's Anton Kallberg and China's Lin Gaoyuan (林高遠), respectively.