Doo Hoi-kem and Wong Chun-ting need to work on their mental toughness if they were to still be competitive at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, head coach Li Ching said on Saturday.
A fourth bronze medal in the mixed doubles at this week’s ITTF World Table Tennis Championships, came despite Li acknowledging that the pair, who have been together for a decade, had been “thoroughly studied” by their rivals, making any competition increasingly challenging.
Still, the Hongkongers reached the semi-finals in Doha before being comfortably beaten 3-1 by Japan’s Satsuki Odo and Maharu Yoshimura.
And having praised the pair’s fighting spirit and determination, Li said he was asking for more from his charges.
“They could still fight on,” he said. “There is always room for improvement in techniques and strategies. But mentality counts even more.
“It’s all about sheer determination, willpower and their obsession with table tennis, they need to put in more effort.”
Doo and Wong’s first world championships as a pair was rewarded with a bronze in 2015, followed by more medals in 2017 and 2023.