NSW Players Shine at ITTF World Masters Championships in Korea

Nearly 3,000 players from more than 85 countries and territories converged on Gangneung Arena, South Korea, for the ITTF World Masters Table Tennis Championships – one of the world's largest celebrations of veteran table tennis.

New South Wales was proudly represented by a strong contingent of players, with several producing outstanding performances on the international stage.

The headline result for NSW came in the Over 75 Men's Doubles, where Anthony Kwok and Jim Peng captured the bronze medal after an exceptional tournament.

The pair stormed through the group stage without dropping a single set before continuing their impressive run through the knockout rounds. They defeated Japan's Murai & Tanaka 3-0, Korea's Seo & Lee 3-0 and France's Mosseri & Richard 3-1 to book a place in the semi-finals. Their remarkable campaign came to an end against China's Cui & Zhang, who went on to claim the gold medal, with Kwok and Peng going down 1-3 to secure a well-deserved bronze medal.

Australia also celebrated a World Championship title in the Over 75 Women's Doubles, with Elfrida Kalich and Kim Holcomb claiming the gold medal.

Further Australian success came in the Over 85 Men's events, with Harry Bligh winning silver in the singles and partnering Japan's Hideo Sasaki to claim silver in the doubles. Igor Klaff also enjoyed an outstanding Championships, collecting bronze medals in both the Over 85 Men's Singles and Over 85 Men's Doubles, where he teamed up with France's Jean Pierre Kasal. Lorraine Baker enjoyed a silver medal win in the Over 75 Mixed Doubles event, pairing with Hong Kong’s Ma Yu Lung.

NSW players continued to impress across numerous events.

Katherine Sui Ying Gao produced one of the tournament's standout performances in the Over 60 Women's Doubles. Partnering Canada's Barbara Chiu, the pair won their group without dropping a set before advancing to the semi-finals to secure a bronze medal. Their impressive run concluded against Korea's Jung & Park, who went on to win the silver medal.

Husband-and-wife duo Jennifer and Tony Aduckiewicz celebrated a podium finish, claiming the bronze medal in the Over 75 Mixed Doubles Consolation event.

In addition to the medallists, NSW players also recorded a number of strong singles and doubles runs across the board. Katherine Sui Ying Gao reached the fourth round of the Over 60 Women’s Singles, narrowly missing a bronze medal, while Isabella Lee and Jennifer Aduckiewicz progressed from their Women’s Singles groups after finishing runners-up, both with excellent wins along the way.

In the men’s events, Paul Pinkewich topped the Over 75 category group stages across all disciplines (singles, mixed and men’s doubles) with his respective partners. His impressive run was met with narrow losses at different stages of the knockout draws. Anthony Kwok continued his fine form in the Over 70 Men’s Singles, advancing to the fourth round before bowing out to Germany’s Nieswand, the eventual silver medallist. Matthew Crane qualified for the Over 60 Men’s Singles main draw after finishing second in his group, while Spencer Pan also advanced from his group before falling to Germany’s Maiworm in the knockout stage. Michel Khachiki enjoyed a strong run in the Over 60 Men’s Singles Consolation draw, reaching the third round, and Gaurav Marwah qualified for the Over 45 Men’s Singles championship draw after finishing second in his group.

Representing New South Wales at the Championships were Tony Aduckiewicz, Jennifer Aduckiewicz, Matthew Crane, Katherine Sui Ying Gao, Michel Khachiki, Anthony Kwok, Jim Peng, Bobby Liu, Gaurav Marwah, Spencer Pan, Paul Pinkewich and Isabella Lee.

Congratulations to all of our NSW representatives for proudly wearing the green and gold on the world stage. Their performances across multiple age categories were a fantastic reflection of the strength and depth of masters table tennis in New South Wales and Australia.

To view full results of the 2026 ITTF World Masters Table Tennis Championships, click here: ITTF WMC Gangneung 2026