Irene Yeoh Targets Four Junior National Team Spots at Upcoming Junior National Team Trials

From May 24^th-27^th, 888 Table Tennis Center in Burlingame California will host Part 2 of the USATT Junior National Team Trials series. 12-year-old Irene Yeoh will be the one to watch in the Girls divisions, having made a splash at Part 1 of the Trials in West Monroe, Louisiana in March. In Louisiana, Irene made the top 8 for every age division she could compete in – finishing 1^st in U13, 2^nd in U15, 3^rd in U17 and 5^th in U19. The difficult feat proved even more impressive, given that Irene had to play ~50 high level matches over the 5 days of competition. Unwilling to default despite being physically tired, she felt “quite proud” of her achievement.

The energetic preteen has played table tennis for over half her life, starting when she was only 6 years old. With an eye towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the young Californian trains 7 days a week, simply because she loves to play. “It’s a fun sport, it’s indoor and you get to make a lot of good friends…it teaches me skills and lessons too.” Fully embodying her positive outlook and boundless energy, Irene spent the day after Part 1 of the Trials in Louisiana playing with her friends at the arcade near the venue.

Irene will take the stage again in a little under a month for Part 2 of the Junior Trials, where 131 players are already registered to compete in U11, U13, U17 and U19 Girls and Boys divisions. 888 Table Tennis Center, recently designated a USA Table Tennis National Training Center, plans to host a spectacular event that will designate the final 8 players on the Junior National Team roster for 2024.