Huwei Elementary School third grader Fang Li-chien only began to practice table tennis when he was in second grade. After playing table tennis for a mere one-and-a-half years, he won first place in his first middle-grade County Mayor’s Cup contest. He even won second place in the teenage male category in the Central Taiwan heats of the National Teenage Elite Contest, breaking the record that had stood in Yunlin for 20 years.
Fang, who has a big pair of eyes, is both awe-inspiring and professional in the way he moves when he plays table tennis. His fellow players even gave him the nickname “Cute Wang Hao.” Although he has not played table tennis for very long, his talent is evident. Yunlin County Table Tennis Committee Secretary-General Chuang Ping-hao commended Fang for his potential and became Fang’s volunteer coach.
Fang did not let down those who had high hopes for him. In his first official contest in the County Mayor’s Cup Table Tennis contest, he won the middle-grade championship, and was runner-up in the teenage male category out of 104 competitors in the Central Taiwan heats of the 2015 National Teenage Elite Table Tennis Contest. He will take part in the national contest, representing Yunlin. His classmates joked that he is the toughest “Xiao San,” or mistress, a Chinese homonym for “third grader.” They wish him great success.
Photo: Liao Shu-ling, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者廖淑玲
(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)
虎尾國小三年級方立謙,從小二才開始練習打桌球,短短一年半第一次參加桌球比賽就拿下縣長盃中年級組冠軍,更獲全國少年菁英賽中區預賽男童組第二名,打破雲林近二十年來最佳紀錄。
有著一雙大眼睛的方立謙,打起桌球來卻虎虎生風、架勢十足,球友更暱稱他是「Q版王皓」,雖然打桌球的時間不長,卻展現天分,雲林縣桌球委員會總幹事莊秉豪稱讚他很有潛力,更擔任他的義務指導教練。
方立謙果然不負眾望,第一次正式比賽,參加縣長盃桌球錦標賽就勇奪國小中年級組冠軍,在一○五名選手競爭中,更拿下「二○一五全國少年桌球菁英賽中區預賽男童組第二名」,即將代表參加全國賽,同學都拱他是最厲害的「小三」,預祝他旗開得勝。(自由時報記者廖淑玲/虎尾國小報導)
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