![\"Chunli](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4K8Y048_Chunli_Li_jpg.jpeg\")
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\nSixty-four-year-old veteran Chunli Li was once a member of China’s national table tennis team.
\nPhoto: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
Four table tennis players from New Zealand are preparing to compete in the upcoming World Cup in Macau.<\/p>\n
Among them are 64-year-old veteran Chunli Li, who will compete as the oldest player in the tournament.<\/p>\n
Other players include teenagers Jocelyn Lam and Timothy Choi, as well as Dean Shu, who is in his early 20s.<\/p>\n
The World Cup, organised by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), started with men’s singles in 1980, and women’s singles in 1996.<\/p>\n
Li, a former member of China’s national team, has represented New Zealand at international events since moving here in 1987.<\/p>\n
She won third place at the 1997 World Cup in Shanghai, Oceania’s best result at the event so far.<\/p>\n
At the age of 40, she took home a gold medal for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in 2002, as well as one silver and two bronzes.<\/p>\n
She became the national women’s coach after the 2004 Athens Olympics and received a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to table tennis.<\/p>\n
![\"Chunli](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4JR7KNH_Chunli_Li_training_in_China_jpg.jpeg\")
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\nChunli Li trains in China ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
\nPhoto: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
Li rejoined the World Cup last year as the oldest player after a long gap but failed to reach the round of 16 after losing two matches.<\/p>\n
She said every single one of the 48 athletes would be strong, and it wouldn’t be easy to win even a single match.<\/p>\n
“I’m the same as every other athlete – I want to win and become a champion,” she said.<\/p>\n
“But I also understand that the level of this competition is extremely high. It’s world class.”<\/p>\n
Li spent all her time training apart from her normal coaching job at Chunli’s Table Tennis Club in the Auckland suburb of Pakuranga.<\/p>\n
She also went to China prior to the game to train.<\/p>\n
“I know the challenge is immense in a competition like this, but I hope that one day I can return to the level I was at during my peak,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I want to get back to the very top of the world. At the same time, I understand that it’s a step-by-step process.<\/p>\n
“So, for this year’s World Cup, I think as long as I perform better than I did last year, that will already be a success.”<\/p>\n
In addition to challenging herself by joining the World Cup, Li was driven by another purpose.<\/p>\n
“I would like to bring back the most advanced modern techniques and training experience to New Zealand, and to help our young athletes step onto the world stage.”<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4JR666V_NZ_players_for_the_2026_table_tennis_World_Cup_jpg.jpeg\")
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\n(From left) Timothy Choi, Jocelyn Lam and Dean Shu are representing New Zealand at the 2026 World Cup.
\nPhoto: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
Table Tennis New Zealand said qualification for the World Cup was highly competitive, with players qualifying through strong performances at Continental Cups or through high ITTF World Rankings.<\/p>\n
For New Zealand, the main pathway is through the ITTF-Oceania Cup, it said.<\/p>\n
“Our athletes have delivered strong performances in Oceania, including medal finishes at the recent ITTF Oceania Cup,” the organisation said.<\/p>\n
“One of the most remarkable stories is Chunli Li, a Commonwealth Games medallist.<\/p>\n
“In 2025 in Macao, she returned to the World Cup at 63 years of age, marking 28 years since her medal-winning performance.”<\/p>\n
Lam is returning for her third consecutive appearance at the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Shu is making his second World Cup appearance, while Choi will compete for the first time.<\/p>\n
“Whoever I face at the World Cup will be tough, but I will be bringing my A-game and going all out, point by point, moment by moment,” Shu said.<\/p>\n
The 2026 ITTF World Cup starts on Monday and runs through 5 April.<\/p>\n