With just a few days to go until the 2024 ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup, a series of the world's best players have come together to compete for the gold medal. While experienced champions will undoubtedly compete for glory, the new World Cup qualifying regime opens the door for more young players to leave their mark at an advanced stage. As the sport continues to grow, nurturing young talent remains a top priority for the ITTF. The most important of these are development programs such as the Hope Program, the talent identification program of the ITTF High Performance and Development Department, which unites the world's top athletes and coaches, and the "Focus on the Future" Scholarship Program, a joint program between Olympic Solidarity and the ITTF to support athletes in pursuing their Olympic dreams through high-quality training camps and off-field education programs. A group of talented young players, including many alumni of the Hope Project and beneficiaries of the "Focus on the Future" scholarship, are preparing to make their World Cup debut in Macau. Among these rising stars, several standout names are ready to make history next week.
Felix Lebrun (France)
Felix Lebrun, a rising star of the next generation and a beneficiary of the Future-Focused scholarship, has been steadily rising in the rankings and finished in the men's top five for the first time in his career last month. LeBron has already won several big titles, including the men's singles title at the Euro 2023 Olympics, and even the most experienced opponents pose a serious challenge to him. Having recently reached the semi-finals of the 2024 Singapore Smash Tournament, keep an eye on LeBron as he aims to make his debut at the men's World Cup.
Lin Shidong
The current World Junior Champion Lin Shidong is a young talent with great potential. Lin Shidong is no stranger to big upsets, having recently defeated world No. 2 and his personal idol Fan Zhendong at the 2024 Singapore Grand Slam. In the 2023 WTT series, Lin Shidong defeated Dimitri Ocharov 4-0 in WTT contender Amman to win a victory that promises to show the future of Chinese table tennis.
Aditya Sareen (Australia)
Fifteen-year-old Aditya Salen is an "Eyes on the Future" scholarship winner and the youngest player in the men's event. Saleen made history last year at the 2023 INTO Oceania Championships, where he overcame all odds to become the youngest player ever to win the men's singles title at an intercontinental championship and soared in the men's rankings to break into the top 50 in the world for the first time in his young career.
Kuamman
At the ITTF World Junior Championships 2023, she defeated Elena Zaharia in straight sets to win the U19 girls' gold medal. Kaui has already made her mark at the Women's Open, winning two WTT titles in 2023 (WTT contenders Almaty 2023 and WTT feeder Amman).
Miwa Zhangmoto
At just 15 years old, Miwa Zhang is the youngest female player to compete at the ITTF World Cup in 2024. One of the best emerging talents in the younger generation, she is already making an impression in high school, winning two WTT Series 2023 titles (WTT contenders Tunisia and WTT feeder Antalya). Keep an eye out for Harimoto, who will be making a statement in Macau.
Gold
Also on the list is 16-year-old Hana Goda, who is one of the continent's table tennis hopes. An alumnus of the Hopes program and recipient of the 'Focus on the Future' scholarship, Goda shocked the world by winning the 2022 ITTF Africa Cup of Nations at just 14 years old, making her the youngest player ever to win a continental Cup. The young Egyptian has a bright future in Macau, which proves that she has what it takes to compete in her senior class.