Yu Mengyu (Chinese: 于梦雨; pinyin: Yú Mèngyǔ; born 18 August 1989) is a retired Singaporean table tennis player.[5][6] Born in Liaoning, China, Yu left China in 2006 at the age of 17 to join the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme.[7][8] In the same year, Yu made her international debut for Singapore.
Yu was part of the team who defeated China 3-1 to be crowned world champions in the 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Moscow, Russia.[9] She defeated Kasumi Ishikawa and Liu Shiwen consecutively in the women's team event at the 2012 Asian Table Tennis Championships, thereby helping Singapore secure the runner-up position. Yu represented Singapore in the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. She was the flag bearer for Singapore during the 2020 Summer Olympics.[10]
Yu’s career has been consistently plagued by injuries. This made it challenging for her to maintain a high participation rate and stable competitive performance in international competitions. Yu participated in two Olympic Games, being the only female table tennis athlete that secured the fourth place twice and the fifth place twice, but has yet to clinch an Olympic medal.
In 2021, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore praised Yu at the National Day Rally, commending her spirit of “to be indomitable, to keep going and never give up” during the Tokyo Olympic Games. He referred to her as a representative of the "Singapore Spirit".[11][12]
On 22 March 2022, Yu retired from the national team.[13] In November, she was awarded the Sportswoman of the Year in the Singapore Sports Awards 2022.[14] In 2024, Yu was inducted into the Singapore Sport Hall of Fame.[15]
- ^ "Athlete's Profile". 2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
- ^ 18th Asian Games Jakarta Palembang 2018 Participant: YU Mengyu, Olympic Council of Asia, OCA 2016, archived from the original on 8 June 2022, retrieved 8 June 2022
- ^ "Ranking progression". ittf.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Rankings". ittf.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Profile on STTA website". Singapore Table Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 27 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
- ^ "Table Tennis: YU Mengyu". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ Dass, Camillia (28 July 2021). "Yu Mengyu: 5 Things to Know About Team Singapore's Table Tennis Star". Tatler Singapore. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ Lee, David (28 July 2021). "9 things about S'pore table tennis player Yu Mengyu, who booked Tokyo Olympics semi-final spot". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ Tung, Colin. "Singapore upset China 3-1 to win women's table tennis world championship". RED SPORTS. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics declared open; Team Singapore led in by Loh Kean Yew and Yu Mengyu". CNA. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:9was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:10was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Chia, Laura (22 March 2022). "Table tennis: Singapore national player Yu Mengyu announces retirement | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Loh Kean Yew and Yu Mengyu awarded Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year 2022 – Singapore National Olympic Council". Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:14was invoked but never defined (see the help page).