Feng back in Singapore squad
Paddler will be part of STTA side - first time since they parted ways last year - for Asian Championships
Women's singles world No. 4 Feng Tianwei will join the Singapore team for the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Wuxi, China in April.
This will be the first time the 30-year-old will be part of a Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) team since Feng and the national sports association parted ways late last year.
The three-time Olympic medallist will compete in the women's singles and team events at the biennial tournament, from April 9 to 16.
STTA senior high performance manager Eddy Tay said: "Feng has expressed interest to play at the Asian Table Tennis Championships and she has met the selection criteria."
Feng and Gao Ning, 34, head a 10-strong squad for the tournament, announced by the STTA on Tuesday.
Gao, Clarence Chew, Pang Xue Jie, Maxxe Tay and Ethan Poh form the men's team, while the women's squad consist of Feng, Yee Herng Hwee, Zhang Wanling, Eunice Lim and Tan En Hui.
Zeng Jian, (world No. 22), Zhou Yihan (No. 29) and Lin Ye (No. 68) are not available for selection for the women's team - Zeng is not a Singapore citizen yet, while China-born Zhou and Lin are sitting out because of International Table Tennis Federation rules on naturalised citizens.
Meanwhile, Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Isabelle Li is no longer part of the national set-up, while Yu Mengyu is unfit for action.
I hope to reach the semifinals again this year...Feng Tianwei on her target for the Asian Table Tennis Championships in April
Tay said: "Yu Mengyu is still recovering from her injury and we plan to field her for the ITTF Korean Open in April.
"Meanwhile, she will spend more time on strength and conditioning."
He added that no targets have been set for the team.
"Our aim is to give these high-potential young athletes more competition exposure and a chance to prove themselves," Tay said.
Realistically, Feng has the highest chance of winning a medal in China; Singapore have won at least one medal at every edition of the continental championships since 2003.
Feng clinched the women's singles joint-bronze in 2015 and finished third in the women's doubles with Yu in 2009.
Singapore's best performance at this competition came in 2012, when Gao and now-retired Yang Zi won the men's doubles, with the Republic also collecting silvers in the women's doubles, mixed doubles and women's team.
Feng said: "I hope to reach the semi-finals again this year; the standard at the Asian Championships is usually very strong, and it is really a test for me."
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