Champions crowned at end of successful World Hopes Week & Challenge

October 20, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Ugandaâ€s Joseph Sebatindira and Kaede Neya of Japan were the champions as the Challenge competition brought the curtain down on ITTF World Hopes Week in Sheffield.

Photos by Michael Loveder

The Elite Training Centre hosted 40 of the worldâ€s best under-12 players – 20 boys and 20 girls – plus their coaches from all over the world.

The week began with a training element, held over five intensive days, led by ITTF Head Coaches Eva Jeler and Magnus Mallander. Sessions focused on technical progression, physical improvements, and consistency.

This was complemented by an engaging strength & conditioning workshop led by Dave Hembrough of Table Tennis England partner Sheffield Hallam University, who later also led a play-based warm-up for the players.

Players and coaches also benefited from a dedicated educational session designed to extend learning beyond the table. Paralympian Martin Perry, ITTF Planet Ambassador, delivered an inspiring talk on sustainability and food waste, linking sport with environmental responsibility and community impact.

The week finished with the Challenge competition, with Sebatindira and Neya coming out on top.

Joseph Sebatindira

Sebatinidira overcame Jacob Kordus of the USA in the final and they were joined on the podium by beaten semi-finalists Lucas Alexandre (New Zealand) and Chirag Pradhan (USA).

Neya defeated Zhi Yu Eng of Malaysia in the final, with bronze medals going to Olivia Wang of Canada and Emma Yang of the USA.

Kaede Neya

There were no quarter-final places for the English trio of competitors, who went out in the group stage. The group matches saw the youngsters compete in four-game matches, meaning there was the possibility of a draw.

Amber Lemmon finished sixth out of nine in Group B of the girls†competition. The group was won by Neya.

Amber Lemmon

Lemmon drew 2-2 (3-11, 11-5, 11-10, 8-11) with Patience Anyango of the USA and also drew with Karen Looi of New Zealand.

Her best results were a 4-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7) success against Teodora Sardeni of Romania and a 3-1 (11-2, 11-5, 11-4, 6-11) win over Italyâ€s Serena Rossati.

Jayden Chen

Jayden Xuan Chen and Dimitar Dimitrov both finished eighth in their groups. Chenâ€s best result was 2-2 (11-10, 8-11, 11-9, 5-11) against Filip Arosell of Sweden, while Dimitrov beat Leo Sayegh of French Polynesia 3-1 (11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8) and had 2-2 draws with Kordus, Joshua Samson of Nigeria and Krish Vinodh of India.

Dimitar Dimitrov

As part of ITTFâ€s talent identification pathway, players†performance was evaluated not only on results but also on technical ability, training attitude, and competition approach.

The four highest evaluated players per gender will be selected for the Hopes Team, a fast-track to the High Performance pathway, unlocking scholarship support and additional funded training and competition opportunities.

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