Coach Zhou upbeat about paddlers' chances

This will be Zhou Shusen's first Olympics as coach of the Singapore women's table tennis team.

The veteran coach faces the huge task of guiding the team to a second successive medal at next month's London Olympics, after they bagged silver at the 2008 Games.

It is not as if the 70-year-old hasn't already had success with them.

He guided the Singappore women to a stunning triumph at the 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships, beating China in the final in one of the great upsets of the year.

While Feng Tianwei, Wang Yuegu and Li Jiawei have been in sluggish form over the last few months, Zhou is not worried, even with the Olympics just four weeks away.

Said Zhou: "Our standards have not dropped since four years ago. In this time our results - whether we won or lost - have been by razor-thin margins, one or two points.

"Tianwei's losses this year have been against choppers but she has improved significantly against attacking players.

"She suffered a shoulder injury earlier this year and wasn't able to spar with choppers during training, but she has since recovered and is training everyday against choppers now - up from three or four times a week in the past.

"However, the key between now and the Olympics is injury prevention, so we wouldn't want to aggravate her injury.

Outstanding

"If she improves enough, I predict outstanding performances at the Olympics, not just in the team event, but also in the women's singles.

"If we are good for a point in the doubles of the team event, then we shouldn't worry too much." Feng has dropped from world No. 2 to No. 10, and Wang is now Singapore's top female paddler at world No. 7.

Zhou has been impressed by Wang, and he also praised veteran Li.

Li, 30, worked hard after giving birth in October 2009, rising from No. 34 in the world in April 2010 to 13 this month.

Li made the cut for the Olympic team event after coming through a regional qualification tournament earlier this year, and will equal swimmer Joscelin Yeo's record of four Olympic appearances in London.

The Games will run from July 27 to Aug 12, and Li is looking forward to another unique experience.

"In 2008, we hadn't won an Olympic medal before, so while there were expectations of us, it wasn't that we had to deliver.

"That seems to be the case now and we know that the task ahead is difficult. But I believe we have the strongest line-up possible and can pick up our form to get the results."

sayheng@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The New Paper.