(By Rachel Sung)
A short, seven day tournament brought many firsts. First experience competing in an international sports event, completing with athletes from over 50 different sports, first time visiting the beautiful city of Chengdu, first time sitting in front of a microphone during a press conference, first time seeing real life pandas… The list goes on, noting all the unforgettable memories that came from representing USA at the 2023 World University Games.
Prior to the Games, I trained for around a week in the city of Hangzhou, gaining the luxury of getting accustomed to life in China earlier. Problems such as time zone differences and foreign payment methods were therefore luckily solved early on. Arriving at the World University Games village, teams were welcomed with enthusiastic volunteers and endless amenities. We settled in comfortably, filled with anticipation for the upcoming competition.
The second day in Chengdu contained one highlight of my trip, the opening ceremony. Marching with team USA through the streets of Chengdu, I saw an endless sea of warm, welcoming smiles. In the main venue, China put on visually spectacular musical performances that simultaneously represented Chinese culture and conveyed a powerful message of uniting the world through sports. Breathtaking fireworks ended the night, lighting up the entire city with symbols of unity and beauty.
From previous experiences, seeing “opening ceremony” in the schedule usually meant a night filled with hours of endless waiting, just to see a short cultural performance at the end of all speeches. The people of Chengdu along with all the hard working individuals who played a part in organizing a successful ceremony genuinely broke my original associations, completely surpassing expectations.
A notable highlight on my list of firsts: USA’s first medal in table tennis at the World University Games. In Women’s doubles, Amy and I managed to make our way to the semi-finals, taking home a bronze medal. Going into the event, our expectations for results remained low, as we knew the tournament had a large number of strong, talented players. First round 3-2, second round 3-2, third round 4-3; needless to say our path to the semis was not the smoothest. Being able to ultimately pull through and end up with a spot on the podium felt like a dream, a lifelong memory.
Aside from bringing many new firsts, Chengdu provided the opportunity for me to play again with teammates I began table tennis with, an opportunity I will always treasure. Nostalgia and mixed emotions hit in seemingly simple tournament moments: walking into the court for the team event, coaching each other in between games, and most importantly, cheering each other on every moment someone stood on that court. These memories with my teammates, analyzing and discussing matches, laughing till we couldn’t breathe—are my true biggest takeaways from the tournament. Moments like these are what cause me to really stop and realize how much of a positive impact table tennis has had on my life; the friendships and bonds I’ve made along the way are truly priceless.
I want to thank my teammates, our coach this time Yuxiang Jin, Bowmar Sports, PingPod, 888 Table Tennis, Major League Table Tennis, Serviceaide, and the club in Hangzhou, Ruichao Sports (瑞超体育), for all the support.
