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Malaysian Games 2013: Table tennis win all in the jeans?

Meld Magazine

Thu Apr 11 2013

Malaysian Games 2013: Table Tennis

IN a pair of jeans, Aaron Chua waltzes his way to the Malaysian Games 2013 table tennis men’s singles title. Jyethe Wong reports.

Monash University engineering student Aaron Chua didn’t even need to change into sport attire to successfully defend his Malaysian Games men’s singles table tennis title against last year’s silver medallist and ASEAN Games Australia gold medallist Muhammad Zulhakim Murad.

The match took place at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre last Saturday, and the 22-year-old was wearing jeans.

The men’s table tennis final between Aaron and Muhammad, a 24-year-old University of Melbourne electrical engineering student, was a tense affair that drew plenty of cheers from the spectators.

Even under pressure, Aaron could still entertain the crowd with fancy table tennis tricks using his table tennis bat – and it made his eventual triumph all the more impressive.

Photo: Wan Shing Lang

Photo: Wan Shing Lang

So just why was he in jeans?

“I just came from my friend’s house,” Aaron explained.

“I am happy that I’ve won again.”

Aaron actually runs the table tennis club at Monash University and practices about four times a week.

“I wanted to go pro but I decided to go to uni instead,” he said.

For Muhammad, the odds were always against him as he had to overcome a two-set deficit his semi-final match to reach the final.

“[The final] was a tough match,” he said.

“Aaron is at another level for me.”

Photo: Wan Shing Lang

Photo: Wan Shing Lang

In the women’s singles event, Wei Ming became this year’s champion before partnering Wilson Yang to bag the mixed doubles title.

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