Raffles Junior College's Jason Ho, 16, will compete in the 2005 World Table Tennis Championships

When national paddler Jason first joined a Singapore Table Tennis Association camp, he was a scrawny 10-year-old who stood a mere 1.3m. Now, at 16, he is 1.68m tall - and the proud owner of a South-east Asia Games men's team gold.

Yesterday, he was again picked to represent Singapore at the World Championships in Shanghai from April 30. He will be joined by five others - Cai Xiaoli and women players Li Jiawei, Zhang Xueling, Xu Yan and Tan Paey Fern.

Said table tennis coach Chen Yong: 'It's quite amazing. Last year, Jason stopped training from June to November to focus on his O levels. But his solid foundation enabled him to make a quick comeback. He beat five others to earn the nod.'

All six will compete in the singles, with Jason partnering Cai in the men's doubles. They will partner Tan and Li respectively in the mixed doubles.

The right-hander first burst into prominence in 2002 when he won the SEA Junior Under-14 singles and doubles crowns. He came under the spotlight again in Vietnam the following year,earning praise for his gritty displays despite losing narrowly to older Thai and Vietnamese opponents.

Said Chen of his charge: 'Jason's intelligence is his main asset. He is quick to adapt, learns fast and has a solid foundation. But he is too defensive, and needs to work on more killer shots.'

Jason is ranked 702 in the world. Said Chen: 'If he studies and trains, he will only make steady progress. But if he turns professional, he will improve by leaps.'

For now, Jason plans to stick to both his books and bat, saying: 'I want to complete my A levels first, and then we shall see.' His achievements also extend to the classroom where he scored 4 A1s, 2 A2s and 3 B3s in his O levels last week.



Summarised from The Straits Times Interactive, March 12, 2005