12 things to know about Yu Mengyu, who made us so proud at Tokyo 2020

Yu Mengyu was born in Liaoning, China, on Aug 18, 1989.

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In 2006, at 17 years old, she left China to join the Singapore Table Tennis Association.

This is her second Olympics, and the furthest she has reached.

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Yu was behind Feng, Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu in the pecking order for Beijing 2008 and London 2012, where they won the women's team silver and bronze, respectively.



Tokyo 2020 was the furthest Yu had ever reached at an Olympics, and the world No. 47 stunned higher-ranked players, including Taiwan's world No. 8 Cheng I-Ching (4-0) and Japan's world No. 10 Kasumi Ishikawa (4-1), along the way.



After scoring a stunning victory on Wednesday (July 28) in the quarter-finals over world No. 10 Kasumi Ishikawa, Yu faced China's top-ranked paddler Chen Meng in the semi-finals on Thursday (July 29), in a tense fight that saw her clutching her left thigh and requiring medical attention during the fourth game.



Yu Mengyu then went on to play against Japan's world No. 3 Mima Ito, in which the Japanese table tennis player won 4-1. Yu said: "I felt I played well, but maybe did not handle the crucial points as well as my opponent. The scores could have been closer if I had added a bit more variety to my shot selection. When I was leading or when the scores were level, my opponent was more decisive."

Yu has had to cope with debilitating spinal and shoulder injuries.

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In 2014, she could not get out of bed for a month, and pulled through Rio 2016 with injections and platelet-rich plasma treatment, before undergoing surgery to fix a torn labrum.

In March this year, she had to be escorted on a wheelchair to board her flight home after her back injury flared up during the WTT Star Contender in Doha, Qatar.

She was nursing an injury in her left thigh during the Tokyo 2020 games.

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Yu carried out her impressive run while nursing an injury in her left thigh, which she pulled in her first match of the competition last Sunday in her 4-0 victory over Portugal's Shao Jieni.

During her semi-final against Chen on Thursday, Yu had called for an injury time-out and received medical attention, but eventually completed the match, which ended 4-0 to Chen.

She has earned much praise for her strong showing at Tokyo 2020.

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Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who was watching from the stands, wrote on Facebook: "Remember that she... got to this position... only because she has risen to the occasion, and surpassed any expectations of her.

"It's a missed opportunity at an Olympic individual medal, and that will rankle for some time to come. But we remain proud, not only of how far Mengyu has gone at these Olympics, but especially because she didn't give up; she pressed on, made a good fist of it and gave it her all and competed well, even if her all fell short because her opponents were better."

Singapore Table Tennis Association president Ellen Lee said: "Mengyu has worked very hard and has made the most of this amazing opportunity. She made an incredible journey. Tonight, it was not an easy feat to take on Ito, and Yu displayed great grit and fighting spirit. Yu did Singapore proud and we have no regrets."

In a Facebook post, Singapore National Olympic Council president Tan Chuan-Jin hailed Yu's outing at the Tokyo Games as a "glorious one" and praised her tenacity.

Mr Tan, who is also Speaker of Parliament, said: "She has captured our imagination with her verve and fighting spirit. Mengyu lost 1-4 to Ito and put up a good fight. We thank you for flying our flag high not just as one of our flag bearers but as one of our warriors on the courts. Jiayou Mengyu! Now for the team event with Tian Wei and Lin Ye!"

Casting an overall look at her Tokyo 2020 run, Yu Mengyu said that she had no regrets. "Maybe there were a lot of expectations on me after I made the final four because they think I'm so close to a medal, and maybe I allowed myself to believe that too," she said.

"I had wanted to deliver a medal as a gift to celebrate National Day (Aug 9) and it's a shame I couldn't. But I did give my best and no regrets."

She also expressed her gratitude to Singaporeans, who have come out in droves to support her on social media channels. "I'm very thankful for all the support of Singaporeans. I received many messages, and while I haven't been able to reply them all, I have read them and I'm grateful."

In an Instagram post a few hours after losing the bronze medal to Japan's Mima Ito, Yu Mengyu wrote in her caption: "Thanks to all people who have helped me. Without your supports, I cannot stand on the stage of this Olympics. Although I was a little regretful, my body was not strong enough, but I did my best. Life cannot be perfect for everything. A life with a little regret is real life.🙆🏻‍♀️🙆🏻‍♀️🙆🏻‍♀️"

Totally agree. We love how real she got.

In her spare time, she reads up on related products online.

Yu has said they help her stand out and give her a psychological boost. At Tokyo 2020, she was spotted with accessories such as a gold necklace, earrings, a bracelet, and three rings on her fingers.

Versions of this article were first published in The Straits Times on July 28 and July 29, 2021. This article has been updated for currency. Additional reporting by Estelle Low.