Table tennis veteran Chunli Li eyes ‘immense’ World Cup challenge

Four table tennis players from New Zealand are preparing to compete in the upcoming World Cup in Macau.

Among them are 64-year-old veteran Chunli Li, who will compete as the oldest player in the tournament.

Other players include teenagers Jocelyn Lam and Timothy Choi, as well as Dean Shu, who is in his early 20s.

The World Cup, organised by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), started with men's singles in 1980, and women's singles in 1996.

Li, a former member of China's national team, has represented New Zealand at international events since moving here in 1987.

She won third place at the 1997 World Cup in Shanghai, Oceania's best result at the event so far.

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.

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.

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.

She said every single one of the 48 athletes would be strong, and it wouldn't be easy to win even a single match.

"I'm the same as every other athlete - I want to win and become a champion," she said.

"But I also understand that the level of this competition is extremely high. It's world class."

Li spent all her time training apart from her normal coaching job at Chunli's Table Tennis Club in the Auckland suburb of Pakuranga.

She also went to China prior to the game to train.

"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.

"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.

"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."

In addition to challenging herself by joining the World Cup, Li was driven by another purpose.

"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."

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.

For New Zealand, the main pathway is through the ITTF-Oceania Cup, it said.

"Our athletes have delivered strong performances in Oceania, including medal finishes at the recent ITTF Oceania Cup," the organisation said.

"One of the most remarkable stories is Chunli Li, a Commonwealth Games medallist.

"In 2025 in Macao, she returned to the World Cup at 63 years of age, marking 28 years since her medal-winning performance."

Lam is returning for her third consecutive appearance at the World Cup.

Shu is making his second World Cup appearance, while Choi will compete for the first time.

"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.

The 2026 ITTF World Cup starts on Monday and runs through 5 April.

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