This autographed jersey belongs to Singaporean athlete Yu Mengyu who wore it for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics bronze-playoff table tennis match, which was held in summer 2021 due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Ranked world no. 47 at the time, Yu nevertheless triumphed over world no. 8 Cheng I Ching and later world no. 9 Ishikawa Kasumi before reaching the semi-finals where she faced world no. 1 Chen Meng of China, followed by world no. 3 Mima Ito of Japan.Playing through an injury sustained during her match with Chen Meng, Yu lost her semi-final matches and came in 4th place but was nevertheless hailed for her spirited showing. She was also praised by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the 2021 National Day Rally for her persistence and tenacity through the competition. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics was Yu’s last international competition after which she retired in 2022 and was appointed assistant coach for the STTA junior development squad for high potential athletes aged 9 to 12 years old. Yu was inducted into the Singapore Sport Hall of Fame in 2024.
