Singaporean Li Jia Wei Hopes to Win Another Olympic Medal

Singaporean table tennis player Li Jia Wei was set to win another Olympic medal as she was gearing up for more tough fights in the women's singles competition.

"Another medal is possible if I can bring my talent into full play," Li told Xinhua after beating Croatia's Tamara Boros 4-1 in the 1/16 round late Wednesday.

Li Jiawei (L) and Wang Yue Gu of Singapore compete against Grystal Xi Huang and Gao Jun of the United States during the women's team group match at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games table tennis event on August 13, 2008.

Li, who left her birthplace Beijing for Singapore at 15 in 1996, is currently ranked 6th in the world, only after five women from China's national team.

She lost to world number one Zhang Yining in the singles semifinals at the Athens Games.

"Of course, I hope to win another medal at the Beijing Olympics, but no match will be easy," she added.

Singaporean women finished second in the team event earlier this week. It was the first Olympic medal that the Southeast Asian city-state won in 48 years since a silver for men's weightlifting in 1960.

Li's coach Liu Guodong said, "Although winning a medal in the singles will be very difficult because of China, we will try our best."

"I must be fully prepared for possible difficulties in the following matches, and meanwhile I must take it easy and think more about tactics," Li said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2008)

Related Stories