
By Josh Squire
The meteoric rise in Australian table tennis of Hwan Bae has earned him the crown of Emerging Athlete of the Month for June.
Set to debut at the Olympic Games and with the Opening Ceremony now just one week away, Bae’s start in Paris did not follow an obvious path to selection.
Bae didn’t enter the Olympic qualifier event in May as the favourite, rather as the undeniable underdog, ranked outside the top 250 in the world and 14th in Australia.
Working his way through the first stage, he dropped only one match to advance as the top-ranked athlete, before outlasting Birmingham 2022 Team Member Dillon Chambers in the second stage to keep his five-rings dream alive.
Another come-from-behind victory against two-time Commonwealth Games charge Kane Townsend meant Bae’s destiny was in his own hands, with the final match of the tournament seeing him meet fellow teenager Finn Luu.
The two had been playing against each other since their early years and had competed fiercely at times, but never had the stakes been higher.
Luu, undefeated in his first seven games, took a commanding 3-1 set lead but Bae staged a remarkable comeback, with his 12-10 victory securing his spot on the Australian Olympic Team.
While a strong third-place result in the under 19 boys’ singles at the 2023 National Championships put Bae’s name on the map, it’s unsurprising that he credits this most recent achievement as his proudest.
“I am now able to represent my country on the biggest stage in the world. This will also motivate me to [become] a greater player for my table tennis career,” Bae said.
“I am super grateful to have been named the Emerging Athlete of the Month. I feel I have received a reward for all my hard work that I put in throughout the years.”
Praising his Olympic teammates Luu and Nicholas Lum for helping him develop as a player, Bae reminisced about the times they would compete in junior championships, all the way back to under 13 national competitions.
“We have been competing from day one. Through training with each other many times, we were able to create positive competition to push ourselves to the best possible level.”
A member of the 888 Table Tennis Club’s International Talent Development Program, Bae credits Park Ji-Hyun and his team of coaches for helping him with his technique. He also acknowledges the role that his family, friends, and faith have played in his success.
The Paris Olympics’ table tennis schedule is now just over a week away and his focus is solely on performing well.
Looking ahead, he aims to break into the top five world rankings and inspire young table tennis players, with the Emerging Athlete of the Month award recognising these aspirations.
Bae will be part of the Australian men’s table tennis team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games that begin with the Opening Ceremony on July 26.
The Commonwealth Games serves as a platform for developing the future stars of Australian sport and the Emerging Athlete of the Year forms part of a refreshed Awards and Honours program developed by the CGA Heritage and Awards Committee.
The CGA Emerging Athlete of the Year Award celebrates the next generation of Australian sport stars and those that may make an impact for Australia at major sport events in the future.
Over the course of 2024, an athlete will be recognised each month as the Emerging Athlete of the Month and will receive a $500 contribution towards their training and competition expenses.
Three finalists from the monthly winners will then split a $7000 cash prize, with the winner receiving $5000 and the two runners-up $1000 respectively.