PENANG’S table tennis team made history at the recent Sukma outing in Selangor, winning three gold, two silver and two bronze medals, considered its best achievement in the association’s history.
Penang Table Tennis Association (PTTA) president Datuk Michael Tniah said the performance had far exceeded the team’s initial expectations, noting that Penang had managed only two silver medals at the previous Sukma two years ago.
He said the team had initially targeted one gold medal, although there were hopes of securing two golds and one silver.
“Overall, we have outperformed our target. The players have been training very hard and are very motivated, and the improvement in our training programme has made a big difference to our standard,” he told Buletin Mutiara during an interview session.
Tniah said Penang had also established itself as one of the top three table tennis states in Malaysia, following strong performances at national youth and cadet competitions over the past two years.
He said the recent success was the result of long-term player development, with talented players being nurtured from a young age and progressing through the different age groups.
“This achievement has never happened in PTTA history. The last two years have produced our best results, not only among the youth but also among the senior players,” he said.
Tniah mentioned the association now had a good pool of players coming through the ranks, rather than relying on a single generation of athletes.
“We have players who have been training for 10 to 12 years all the way up. We have prospective good players, so this is a very good sign for the future,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of financial support, saying additional funding was needed to maintain the team’s development programmes, training camps and participation in competitions.
“We hope that with this achievement, we can get more support from the state Sports Council and other sponsors. We have already performed, so now we hope the support will come in with bigger funding,” he said.
Tniah added funding would be channelled towards the players, including overseas training, bringing in training partners and participation in competitions.
He cited the team’s upcoming youth tournament in Sabah, which he said would cost about RM50,000 for airfare, accommodation, food and other expenses.
“Everything is for the players. When we talk about sports, money is always important. It is not easy to find sponsors, but hopefully our performance will help us attract more support,” he said.
Meanwhile, Penang table tennis head coach Li Chao credited the team’s unity, consistency and disciplined preparation for its historic Sukma campaign.
“The team was very united and all our players maintained stable form throughout the tournament. We did not encounter any major problems within the team, and that consistency helped us create history with three gold medals,” he said.
The Chinese coach, who has been working closely with the team for more than six months, said preparations focused heavily on strengthening the players’ mentality, fitness and tactical awareness.
He said each player was given clearly defined roles, while specialised training programmes were conducted for singles, doubles and team events.
“We knew we had the ability, but we were not completely certain of the outcome. Through the collective effort of the players, coaches and association, we achieved our best possible result and far surpassed our original target of one gold medal,” he said.
Li also highlighted the women’s doubles pair as the team’s biggest surprise package, saying their run to the final had exceeded the coaching staff’s expectations.
“We thought they could perhaps finish in the top eight or even the top four, but reaching the final and challenging for gold was beyond what we had anticipated. They were undoubtedly our biggest dark horse,” he said.
Looking ahead, the coach said preparations for the next Sukma had already begun, with greater emphasis on developing young talent and identifying future prospects.
“This result is already in the past. From the moment Sukma ended, we started preparing for the next edition. Our priority now is to nurture young players and ensure we are even better prepared for the future,” he said.
Team captain Bosco Goh said the players’ hard work and commitment had been key to the breakthrough, adding that the latest haul represented a major improvement from Penang’s previous Sukma performance.
He said the players were highly motivated and had benefited from the structured training programme and stronger coaching support.
Goh also expressed confidence that Penang could maintain its position among Malaysia’s leading table tennis states, especially with several of the current players still eligible for the next Sukma.
“Looking at our players and their age groups, some of our good players can still compete at the next Sukma. I would say we should either maintain this performance or improve further,” he said.
He also hoped the team’s success would encourage more corporate sponsors and sports authorities to invest in Penang table tennis.
“The achievement has shown what we can do. We hope state Sports Council and other sponsors will come in with bigger support so we can continue developing the players and produce even better results,” he said.
Story and pix by Edmund Lee