Wales and GB’s Anna Hursey is a world champion – and ends the ITTF World Youth Championships with THREE medals!

She won the Under-19 Girls’ Doubles alongside Mia Griesel of Germany, adding to their European gold at the same age group and at Under-21s.

The medal goes with the silver won alongside Romania’s Iulian Chirita in the Mixed Doubles.

In the singles, the top seed had to settle for bronze as she was defeated in the semi-finals.

The medals are Wales’ first at this level and Hursey is only the second British athlete to get on the podium in the individual events after England’s Paul Drinkhall won silver in the Boys’ Singles is 2008 – England also won team bronze that year.

The doubles final was hugely dramatic as Hursey & Griesel came from 2-0 down and saved three match points before taking the gold 14-12 in the decider.

There wasn’t much indication of what was to come when their opponents, China’s Zong Geman & Qin Yuxuan won eight points in a row to take the first game 11-4.

When they kept the momentum going and won the second 11-5, never trailing, it looked a long way back for the European champions.

But the momentum shifted from 2-2 in the third when six successive points broke the back of that game. The Chinese reduced the arrears but could only get to seven. And it was 2-2 when Hursey & Griesel won the fourth 11-8, themselves never trailing.

The decider sae neither pair leading by more than two at any stage, but the Chinese generally had the edge and brought up two match points. They were saved and then two more match points were traded – first for Hursey & Griesel and then for Zong & Qin. Finally, the historic point was taken by the Europeans, winning the game 14-12 and getting on the top step of the podium.

Hursey was top seed in the singles but had to be content with bronze after she was defeated 4-1 in the semi-finals by third seed Qin, who went on to beat compatriot Zong in six games in the final.

Hursey took the first game 11-6, sealing it with a run of four points, but once Qin had edged the second 11-9, after seeing Hursey close from 5-9 to 9-9, she started to dominate and won the next three 5, 3, 5.

Hursey earlier beat sixth seed Yeh Yi-Tian of Chinese Taipei in six games in the quarter-finals.

But Hursey and coach John Murphy can reflect on an incredible week in Romania, returning with three medals and a place in GB table tennis history.

Results

Under-19 Girls’ Singles
Quarter-finals
Hursey bt Yeh Yi-Tian (TPE) 4-2 (11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 13-11)

Semi-finals
Qin Yuxuan (CHN) bt Anna Hursey (WAL) 4-1 (6-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-3, 11-5)

Under-19 Girls’ Doubles
Final
Anna Hursey (WAL) & Mia Greisel (GER) bt Zong Geman & Qin Yuxuan (CHN) 3-2 (4-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 14-12)