Table Tennis: Chen Min-hsin Clinches Dakar Youth Olympics Berth After Seven-Game Final Thriller

Sixteen-year-old Chen Min-hsin has earned a ticket to the Dakar Youth Olympics after a dramatic comeback victory in the girls' singles final of the 2026 Youth Olympics table tennis national team selection tournament. Chen, representing Ko-Hu, battled back from a two-game deficit to defeat 17-year-old Wu Ying-hsuan of Cathay 4-3 in a thrilling seven-game match.

The final saw a reversal of fortunes similar to their previous encounter in February's national rankings match, where Chen also came back from two games down to win. In this decisive match, Wu took the first two games 12-10 and 11-8. However, Chen rallied, winning the next three games 11-7, 11-8, and 11-5. Wu managed to level the score at 3-3 by winning the sixth game 11-7, setting up a tense final game.

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Although I lost the first two games, the pressure was relatively less. Afterwards, I just played one game at a time, played more proactively, and moved the opponent around more. I am very happy to achieve my goal, as the Youth Olympics can only be participated in once in a lifetime. It's a rare opportunity, and I hope to win a medal for Taiwan at the Olympics.

In the deciding game, Chen established an early lead with powerful forehand attacks, prompting Wu to call a timeout. Chen maintained her aggressive strategy, quickly extending her lead to 10-3 before clinching the game 11-4 and securing her Youth Olympics qualification. This victory also halts Cathay's streak of having a player selected for the girls' national team for three consecutive Youth Olympics.

Chen's coach, Huang Sheng-sheng, noted that despite the initial deficit, Chen performed well and executed the strategy to open up her attack angles. He also mentioned that recent participation in two junior circuit events in Europe helped improve her in-game reactions. Chen expressed relief and excitement, emphasizing the rarity of the Youth Olympics opportunity and her hope to win a medal for Taiwan.

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Although she lost the first two games at the start, overall she was not at a disadvantage. From the third game, I asked her to open up her attack angles, and she firmly executed the strategy and did what she needed to do.