Feng Tianwei
Chinese-born table tennis player who represented Singapore and won multiple Olympic medals, including team silver in 2008 and bronze in 2012. She was part of Singapore's first Olympic medal-winning team and helped establish the country as a table tennis power.
Biography
Feng Tianwei, born on August 31, 1986, in Harbin, China, is a retired Singaporean table tennis player. She moved to Singapore in March 2007 at age 20 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme and began representing Singapore in international competitions the following month. Feng's switch from Chinese to Singaporean athlete significantly boosted Singapore's table tennis program and Olympic hopes.
Feng first competed in the Olympics at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. Playing with teammates Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu, the women's table tennis team defeated South Korea 3-2 in the semifinals but lost to China in the final. The silver medal was Singapore's first Olympic medal in 48 years and its first as an independent nation, making Feng a national sports hero.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Feng won a bronze medal in women's singles by beating Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa 4-0. She also secured another bronze in the team event with Li and Wang, marking the first Olympics where Singapore won multiple medals. These successes placed her among the world's top table tennis players and raised Singapore's status in international sports.
Feng hit another career high at the 2015 Asian Cup in Jaipur, where she beat Chinese players Zhu Yuling and Liu Shiwen to win the championship, ending China's seven-year winning streak at the tournament. Even after the Singapore Table Tennis Association chose not to renew her contract in October 2016, Feng continued to shine internationally. She notably defeated world number one Ding Ning in the Chinese Table Tennis Super League and world number one Chen Meng at the 2019 German Open.
Before Fame
Feng Tianwei, born in Harbin, a northeastern Chinese city known for winter sports, honed her table tennis skills in China's competitive sports system. By the 1980s and 1990s, China dominated international table tennis, producing world champions and Olympic medalists through its training programs.
In the early 2000s, countries like Singapore actively recruited Chinese-born athletes to boost their national teams. Feng transitioned to represent Singapore internationally at age 20 through Singapore's Foreign Sports Talent Scheme, which aimed to improve the country's sporting success.
Key Achievements
- Silver medal in women's team table tennis at 2008 Beijing Olympics
- Bronze medals in women's singles and team events at 2012 London Olympics
- 2015 Asian Cup Champion, ending China's seven-year winning streak
- Singapore's first Olympic singles medalist since 1960
- Multiple victories over world number one ranked players throughout career
Did You Know?
- 01.She helped Singapore win its first Olympic medal as an independent nation, breaking a 48-year drought dating back to 1960
- 02.Feng defeated world number one Ding Ning in the Chinese Table Tennis Super League after leaving the Singapore national team setup
- 03.Her victory at the 2015 Asian Cup ended China's seven consecutive years of dominance in the tournament
- 04.She caused a major upset at the 2019 German Open by defeating then-world number one Chen Meng in straight games
- 05.Feng's 2012 Olympics performance made Singapore the first country to win two medals at a single Olympic Games