Upset with his quick exit from the Tokyo Paralympics, men's singles paddler Chee Chaoming has pledged to become among the world's best in the TT9 category ahead of the 2024 Paris edition.
Chaoming described his Paralympic debut as invaluable, although he failed to reach the quarter-finals at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium here.
The 24-year-old finished bottom of Group C after losing to Italy's Mohamed Kalem (11-6, 11-7, 11-4), Britain's Joshua Stacey (11-6, 11-8, 11-9) and Australia's Ma Lin (11-5, 11-6, 11-7).
"This is my first Paralympics while my opponents have played in previous editions. It was tough for me to perform against four-time Paralympic gold medalist Ma Lin and Rio 2016 bronze winner Mohamed.
"I felt very sad when I had played badly against Mohamed. However, I felt I was starting to get my rhythm against Stacey and Ma Lin but could not offer them a good fight," said Chaoming yesterday.
He added that he lost all of his matches as he could not handle their service shots.
The Kuala Lumpur-born said his opponents were well-prepared for the Paralympics as they had been playing regularly in tournaments.
"I last played in a tournament in 2019. After that, I could not go abroad and play due to Covid-19 restrictions.
"Instead, I was training in a sports bubble in Bukit Jalil," said Chaoming.
However, the bronze winner at the 2018 Asian Para Games refuses to give up.
"It was an useful experience playing here against some of the best paddlers in the world. I hope to improve and gain more experience ahead of the 2024 Paris edition.
"In Paris, I want to make it count by reaching at least the quarter-finals."
His next big tournament is next year's Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.
Chaoming, who started playing table tennis when he was eight, also apologised to his family, friends, and all Malaysians for his inability to go further in Japan.
Apart from winning the men's singles bronze, Chaoming was also a gold winner when he teamed up with Ting Ing Hock in the men's doubles TT4-5 event at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia. -Bernama