FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. Table Tennis Athletes Get Ready for Competition at the 2001 National Championships in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV - The USA Table Tennis National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada is set to include over 700 ranked players who will chase national titles in a variety of events. The focus will be targeted on the Men's and Women's Singles, Junior Championships, and disabled events. The stage is also set for a spectacular showdown for the National Team Trials on Tuesday, December 18, 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday, December 19, 9:00 a.m., featuring top Olympic Table Tennis Athletes competing for a berth on the U.S. Team.

This annual USA National Table Tennis Championships is organized by USA Table Tennis, the national governing board for Olympic Table Tennis in the U.S. It is being contested on 80 tournament-quality Butterfly tables spread through the Las Vegas Convention Center, Hall C3 from December 19-23. The event is staged and promoted in partnership with Martin Kilpatrick and Paddle Palace, both table tennis equipment suppliers of Butterfly and Nittaku products.

The two favorites to win Men's Singles are experienced international veterans who have represented the United States abroad throughout the 1990's. 1999 Pan Am Games Gold Medal winner and defending USA Table Tennis National Champion David Zhuang of North Brunswick, New Jersey, is expected to defend his title. 1999 USA Table Tennis National Champ Cheng Yinghua, of Germantown, Maryland, will be Zhuang's toughest competition being a former Olympic team member. Both players were trained in the vaunted Chinese national system during the 1980's.

On the Women's side, Gao Jun Chang is the prohibitive favorite to capture another title. She is the 1999 Pan Am Games Women's Single Gold Medalist, defending US National Champion several years in a row, and ranked #33 in the World.

American young guns, including Indiana's 16 year old Mark Hazinski, 2001 National Team Member, Han Xiao of Maryland, Under 16 Boys' Champ among the Junior Olympics, Adam Hugh of New Jersey, who is currently ranked 2nd in the Under 14 Boys', and Katherine Wu of Maryland, is ranked 3rd in the Under 16 Girls'. They will all be looking to claim the title and position themselves for future tournaments.

The public can attend all events for free except for the Semis and Finals events, Dec. 22nd , 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by logging onto http://www.ticketsguaranteed.com or by calling USA Table Tennis (719) 578-4583.