USA Table Tennis proudly ushers in a new era of table tennis talent for the Paris 2024 Olympics, led by veteran player Lily Zhang (3x Olympian: 2012, 2016, 2020) and Kanak Jha (2x Olympian: 2016, 2020). Both players hail from the San Francisco Bay Area and have made history as the youngest table tennis players at the Olympics in their debuts. In Paris, the two will lead the U.S. team in their quest for the first ever medal for Team USA in the sport.
Peaking at the right time, the Women’s team of Lily Zhang, Amy Wang and Rachel Sung has dominated Pan-American play in 2023. The trio won gold at the Pan Am Championships in Havana, Cuba to earn the Olympic quota spot. The trio then reunited at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile to earn gold in teams, gold in doubles (Wang/Sung) and bronze in singles (Zhang). Combined, the three players have won 18 national titles in singles and doubles. All three women are Asian American and serve as role models and ambassadors for Asian American leadership and sport across the country. The US Women’s team is the first since 2012 to include no members fully trained overseas (all are home-grown athletes).
Kanak Jha’s name is synonymous with table tennis excellence in the U.S. The former wunderkind was the youngest men’s table tennis player at his Olympics debut in 2016 and reached a peak of #19 in the world before his 15-month break from the sport. In 2021 he made the quarterfinals of the World Championships and have had notable wins over world top 20 players. Returning to competition in March 2023, Jha earned his place through winning the ITTF Americas Olympic Qualifier event and will be the sole US men’s player on duty in Paris. Jha’s goal has always been to make history and win the U.S.’s first medal at the games. With his form improving after every event, he is well poised to go far in Paris.
Athletes to Watch:
- Lily Zhang – The most dominant US table tennis women’s player for the last two decades. 6x US National Women’s Champion (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022), 3x time Olympian (2012, 2016, 2020), Bronze Medalist at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games (the first ever medal in an Olympic games by a US Athlete) and Bronze medalist at the 2021 World Championships (Mixed Doubles). She made the US Women’s National team at the age of 12, the youngest ever. Now 28, she is the most recognizable face of US Table Tennis. She’s from Palo Alto, California and after training in Europe during her early twenties, she’s moved back to train at home in California. Since the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Lily has become not only a well-known player but a role model for future athletes. She was selected by Team USA as the closing ceremony flag bearer for 2023 Pan Am Games and has been a supporter of mental health for elite athletes.
- Amy Wang – Amy’s growth has skyrocketed in this quad. She won 2 US National Singles titles (2021, 2023) and two U.S. Open singles titles (2022, 2023), and the U.S. National Collegiate title (2023). Internationally, Amy has dominated in the Pan Am region, winning the 2023 Pan Am Championship Women’s Singles competition and taking gold at the 2023 Pan Am Games in doubles and teams. The UCLA rising Junior is originally from New Jersey and has an effortless style that is at once devastating at play against and graceful to observe.
- Rachel Sung – Rachel is especially talented in doubles, having made history with partner Amy Wang at the 2023 FISU World University Games by winning bronze, the first ever medal for the U.S. at that event. The pair have been dominant, winning the 2023 Pan Am Games gold in doubles and the 2023 US National Women’s Doubles title. Rachel has a twin sister Joanna Sung who also plays table tennis, and they have played doubles together. Rachel is left-handed and Joanna is right-handed. Joanna has stopped competing nationally, but Rachel has continued to impress on the national stage. Rachel is from the Bay Area, California.
- Kanak Jha – The strongest player today in the U.S. having reached a world ranking of #19 in 2022. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he was the youngest member of Team USA. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he finished in the round of 64. In 2021 at the World Championships held for the first time in the U.S., Kanak made the quarterfinals with a personal best performance. Kanak has had wins over the best players in the world and has improved at every competition since his return in March 2023 after his 15-month suspension. Kanak primarily resides in Germany, where he plays for their best league and competes professionally.
For inquiries: Barbara Wei - barbara.wei@usatt.org
