Table tennis has long been a sport where people of Chinese and Asian heritage have excelled.
And now, Yangzi Liu, who immigrated from China to Australia in 2019 and won a bronze medal wearing the green and gold at this year’s Commonwealth Games, has become one of the standouts of Australian table tennis.
She made history at the games by winning Australia’s first-ever women’s singles medal in a major international table tennis competition.
Born in Henan, China, Liu said she began playing table tennis with her father - who was also a coach - at the age of six.
“I first started playing because my mom was busy at work, so I started playing with my dad. Then a coach taught me how to serve - after that, I fell in love with table tennis,” she said.
“Also, because my health was not so good as a child, I always had to go to the hospital, and ever since I started playing table tennis, I've been going to the hospital less often.”
She later enrolled at a table tennis academy in Shanghai and was selected as the second-youngest player for the Chinese national team training camp.
Yangzi Liu won Australia's first women's singles medal in table tennis at an international competition. Source: AAP / JAMES ROSS/AAPIMAGE
She first went to Europe, joining the Portuguese table tennis league where she experienced a completely different system to China. Then, having relatives in Australia, Liu became attracted to Australia's enthusiasm for sport, and finally decided to settle in the country.
Following in dad’s footsteps
Nicholas Lum, who was born and raised in Melbourne, had a vastly different introduction to the sport than Liu's.
He and his younger brother started going to the table tennis club with their dad every week when Lum was seven years old.
“I used to follow my dad to the table tennis club every Thursday night. And I would sit there, and I would watch him play with his friends,” he said.
“And, one day, I decided to give it a go because I thought it was very easy … that’s how I started to play and discovered the sport.”
The 17-year-old rising star said he didn’t have the smoothest start to his table tennis career, losing in his first-ever competitive match. But his meteoric rise in the sport culminated in a strong showing at the Commonwealth Games in August, where he narrowly missed out on bronze medals in the doubles and mixed doubles events.
Lum credits his dad, who couldn't pursue his own career in the sport because his family wanted him to focus on his studies, for his success in table tennis.
Now, Lum says he hopes to realise his dad’s dreams in the sport.
Training with the best
In 2018, Lum went to Shanghai twice to train with professionals from around the world and in China. He described the training in China as "special", very rigorous, physical and dedicated - a world apart from Europe and Australia.
“China's young players are also the top in the world, and the coaches are also very knowledgeable and experienced ... I have also made a lot of progress,” he said.
Liu, who received Chinese-style training since she was a child, said the mentality of playing in Australia was also very different from that in China.
“Chinese athletes are under more pressure” while Australian players only need to “work hard to be the best,” she said.
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, Liu’s bronze medal win in women's singles was Australia's first table tennis women's singles medal in various international competitions - including the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships.
She recalled the passion of the competition, but also the regret of losing to her Singaporean opponent in the semi-finals. However, she said she was “only sad for a few hours” before being back up for the bronze medal match.
Liu admitted that the pressure to compete for the bronze medal was even greater and she was too nervous to eat breakfast that day. She put the pressure and nerves behind her to defeat her opponent from India 4-3 to take home the bronze.
She said her eyes were now set on the 2026 Commonwealth Games to be held in Victoria, where she hoped to reach the final.
“The next Commonwealth Games will be held in Victoria, so I hope to make a breakthrough in singles and team,” she said.
“And then the biggest goal is the Brisbane Olympics in 2032 … the Olympics is the dream of every athlete. I hope I can play as well as possible, preferably win a medal.”
For Lum, the Commonwealth Games was still a “special experience” despite missing out on a medal.
Teammates striving for excellence
Lum said it was a privilege to have a player of Liu’s calibre in the Australian set-up to push standards even higher.
“She is my role model and team leader, and we are proud of her,” he said.
“I think the first time I saw her was, she came to a training camp in Melbourne. And everyone was a bit surprised when she first played with us.
The biggest goal is the Brisbane Olympics in 2032 … the Olympics is the dream of every athlete.Yangzi Liu
“We were very impressed with her table tennis skills, she was the best among us at the time.
“And when I got to meet her, it was a good time talking with her and we played mixed doubles.”
Liu praised Lum’s performance at the Commonwealth Games where he beat higher-ranked opponents to reach the semi-finals at the age of 17.
And Lum said his goals in table tennis “remain the same”.
“To win games at the Commonwealth Games and Olympics. Especially the next Commonwealth Games will be in Victoria, so it’s home games for us,” he said.
“I hope to play my best and win some medals there.”
