(by Julianna Klein)
A Day in the Life of Kai Zhang: Table Tennis Master
Kai Zhang may look just like any other Binghamton University student, but in reality he is a nationally ranked table tennis player. Originally from Beijing, China, Kai moved to Pleasantville, N.Y., five years ago to have more opportunities in table tennis and his education. He has been playing table tennis for 14 years, and his goal is to represent the US at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Kai Zhang
Hometown: Beijing, China
Year: Freshman
Major: Business administration
Clubs: Table Tennis Club
Goals: Represent the US at the 2020 Olympics for table tennis
Fun Facts
- Will Shortz, creator of the New York Times crossword puzzle, is his guardian
- Competed in US table tennis tournament over break in Las Vegas
- Ranked #1 in the US in 2015
- Likes to play badminton
- Started playing table tennis when he was six years old
From Beijing to Pleasantville
How did you meet Will Shortz?
“We came here for a vacation, and Will had just opened his club for the first time, and he hosted a tournament there. During my vacation here, I went to his club to play in the tournament, and that’s where we met first — but we didn’t know each other at the time. He came to Beijing for a world table tennis championship. Will loves to play table tennis, so he contacted a mutual friend who knows my parents, and then my parents took him to travel around and play table tennis. So that’s where we actually got to know each other. After that, he described a lot of opportunities in the US and, after a year, I decided that I may want to come to the US.”
Why did you come to the United States?
“I wanted to find more table tennis opportunities in the US. It’s really complicated in China — there are politics involved in sports and you don’t have many chances to compete in national tournaments. At that moment, I felt like the only thing I knew was table tennis — so if I came to the US, maybe I could learn something else and have a more rounded life. I played for 10 years in China, so it was really hard to make that decision to give up that dream, because my dream was to represent China and become a world champion. Now, my dream is to go to the Olympics and represent the US.”
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