Gao Jun and Mark Hazinski named USATT Athletes of the Year

By Tommy Perkins

Gao Jun (Gaithersburg, MD) and Mark Hazinski (Mishawaka, IN) were named 2003 Female and Male “Athletes of the Year” for Table Tennis. 

Gao Jun, 34, who was also the 2002 “Athlete of the Year,” surpassed all expectations of a U.S. table tennis athlete in 2003.  Gao, currently training in China with her East China University Club, while taking classes in Economic Trade, is the only North American table tennis athlete who pre-qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games.  Gao accomplished this feat by reaching the quarterfinals at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, France, which moved her into the top 20 ranking in the World. It was the first time a U.S. athlete has reached the quarterfinals at the World Championships since 1959 and the first time a woman has accomplished this task since 1949.  Gao also won Gold in Women’s Singles & Doubles at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo in August of 2003.    Most recently Gao reached the quarterfinals of the Volkswagen Women’s World Cup in Hong Kong by defeating the reigning World Champion Wang Nan (#2 in World) of China and Tamara Boros (#8 in World) of Croatia.  Gao Jun finished the year rated 2636.

Mark Hazinski, 18, is one of the youngest table tennis athletes to ever make the U.S. Men’s National team, World Team or Pan Am team.  Mark was a member of each of these teams in 2003.  Mark also was a Men’s Singles finalist at the 2003 U.S. National Championships, almost upsetting the Champion Ilija Lupulesku in the final.  Mark also made the semifinals in Men’s Doubles at the Nationals and was a semifinalist in Under 22 Men at the 2003 U.S. Open.  Mark was also a Bronze medalist in Junior Boys’ Teams at the 2003 Junior World Circuit in Canada.  Mark finished the year rated 2668, #5 among men in the U.S. 

For more info. Contact Tommy Perkins at 719-866-4583 x 6 or programs@usatt.org.