Livingston resident Emma Yang recently attended the 2024 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pan American U11 and U13 Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Held from August 18 to August 25, the competition showcased the talents of young players from across the continent, includingYang, a sixth grader from Mt. Pleasant Middle School, who won three gold medals and one bronze for Team USA.
Yang’s performance began with a Gold in the U11 Girls’ Singles category. She triumphed in the Round of Sixteen with a decisive 3-0 victory over Guatemala’s Roselin Vasquez. She then defeated Pierina Carrasco of Peru, 3-0, in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she faced Mariana Sanchez from Colombia, securing a 3-1 win to advance to the final. There, she clinched the gold by narrowly edging out her teammate, Shreya Venkateraman, with a 3-2 victory.
Beyond her singles success, Emma played a key role in Team USA’s victories in the U11 Girls' Doubles and U11 Girls’ teams events, earning two additional gold medals. She also secured a bronze medal in the U11 Mixed Doubles. Her outstanding performance at the Pan Am Championships earned her a spot as one of only three American girls selected for the prestigious 2024 ITTF World Hopes Week and Challenge in Asuncion, Paraguay. This event will bring together 20 girls from around the world for elite training and competition.
As a member of the USATT National Junior U11 Girls Team for the past two years, Yang has been training since the age of seven under the guidance of coach Li Bochao at Matchpoint TTC in Whippany.
Emma Yang
