Table tennis stars heading to Summer Universiade in South Korea
Student-athletes Max Xia (pictured) and Dun Han Li will represent Canada at the upcoming Summer Universiade in South Korea. McMaster was recently described as a 'table tennis powerhouse' by the United States Olympic Committee.
A year of excellence on the part of the McMaster table tennis club was recognized on June 29, when the CIS announced that two McMaster student-athletes — Max Xia and Dun Han Li — will represent Canada at the Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea.
Sending just five athletes, Canada’s table tennis delegation reflects McMaster’s recent dominance of the sport in the Great Lakes region.
The team’s success was such that even the United States Olympic Committee took notice, writing about the McMaster Students Union club in January.
Read: McMaster University Emerges As Table Tennis Powerhouse In Canada
“I’m fortunate enough to take part in one of the biggest sporting competitions and celebrations possible,” says Xia, reflecting on his selection to the Canadian national team.
“I believe it will be both an extremely exciting and humbling experience to compete against athletes from other continents, sharing our stories and learning the cultures of university students from every part of the world.”
McMaster lost just one match as a team at the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association’s Great Lakes regional tournament, beating out more traditional Canadian powers, U of T and Western University, in the process.
Their excellent showing in 2014 led McMaster to the TMS College Table Tennis National Championships in Wisconsin, where Dun Li and teammate Klement Yeung advanced to the round of 32 in the men’s singles competition.
Having made the most of their opportunities in North America, the duo of Li and Xia now turn their attention to the global arena, where Canada has yet to see success. The last Universiade appearance for Canadian table tennis athletes yielded only round-of-16 appearances from two mixed doubles pairs.
This year’s competition will run from July 6-13, and McMaster’s representatives will have the opportunity to win Canada’s first-ever medal in the sport.
The McMaster table tennis club:
