Three table tennis players nominated to Team Canada for Tokyo 2020
Two Olympic veterans and one rookie will be representing Team Canada in table tennis at Tokyo 2020.
In her fourth Olympic appearance, Mo Zhang will compete in both the women’s singles and mixed doubles tournaments. Her mixed doubles partner will be Eugene Wang, who is headed to his third Olympic Games. Jeremy Hazin will make his Olympic debut in the men’s singles tournament.
Mo Zhang plays in the mixed doubles gold medal match in table tennis at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games on August 5, 2019. Photo by Dave Holland/COC
Zhang won the ITTF North American Olympic Qualifier in March 2020, defeating fellow Canadian Hui Huang in the final. The now-32-year-old from Richmond, B.C. was just 19 when she made her Olympic debut at Beijing 2008.
She advanced to the second round of the women’s singles tournaments at both London 2012 and Rio 2016. Zhang has won six medals in her four appearances at the Pan Am Games, highlighted by singles gold at Guadalajara 2011 and mixed doubles gold at Lima 2019.
Eugene Wang and Mo Zhang play in the mixed doubles gold medal match in table tennis at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games on August 5, 2019. Photo by Dave Holland/COC
She teamed with Wang to win the latter and seven months later they secured their Olympic spot in the mixed doubles event with their victory at the ITTF North American Olympic Qualifier. Wang, now 35, went to London 2012 just weeks after receiving his Canadian citizenship. He competed in men’s singles at Rio 2016. The mixed doubles event will be included at the Olympic Games for the first time in Tokyo.
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Wang was also the winner of the men’s singles tournament at the ITTF North American Olympic Qualifier, securing the spot for Canada. He then decided that he wanted to be able to focus on the mixed doubles for Tokyo 2020, so the singles spot went to teammate Hazin, who had lost to Wang in the final of the qualifier.
Jeremy Hazin competes in the men’s doubles table tennis at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games on August 04, 2019. Photo by Christopher Morris/COC
Four years ago, Hazin, then just 17, became Canada’s youngest men’s singles national champion ever in table tennis. He also won the national title in 2018 and went on to be part of Team Canada at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima.
Table tennis at Tokyo 2020 will be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, a legacy venue of Tokyo 1964, which is located within the Heritage Zone. The singles and mixed doubles tournaments will all take place during the first week of the Games, with competition kicking off on Day 1, Saturday July 24.
Team Canada Table Tennis Athletes at Tokyo 2020
Jeremy Hazin (Richmond Hill, ON) – Men’s Singles
Eugene Wang (Toronto, ON) – Mixed Doubles
Mo Zhang (Richmond, B.C.) – Women’s Singles, Mixed Doubles