Former S’pore table tennis star Yu Mengyu announces birth of twins on National Day: ‘Our greatest gift’
Former Singapore table tennis player Yu Mengyu has welcomed twins on National Day, describing the newborns as her “greatest National Day gift”.
The 36-year-old shared the happy news in an Instagram post on Aug 9, posting photos of her babies wrapped in swaddles bearing the words “KK Super Bear”.
KK Super Bear is the official superhero mascot for KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) in Singapore.
“A New Chapter, Times Two,” she wrote. “Our Greatest National Day Gift”, she added, with the hashtags #MajulahSingapura and #SG61.
Delivered via C-section
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News on Aug 9, Yu revealed that the twins are a boy and a girl.
She said they were due on Aug 6 and were delivered via a planned Caesarean section around her due date. Yu added that she is recovering well and is looking forward to resting during her confinement.
Reflecting on her pregnancy, Yu said carrying twins was “more challenging”, especially as the babies grew and she experienced nausea, vomiting and the physical strain of the extra weight.
Even so, she said the joy and anticipation of meeting her babies far outweighed the discomfort.
Having just returned home from the hospital on National Day, she said she planned to celebrate quietly with her family by watching the National Day Parade on television.
Yu also said her biggest wish is for both children to grow up healthy and happy.
If they develop an interest in sports one day, she would be happy to let them pursue whatever they enjoy, she added.
One of Singapore’s most decorated paddlers
Born in Liaoning, China, Yu moved to Singapore in 2006 at the age of 17 after being spotted by Singapore Table Tennis Association coach Chen Yong while competing in Beijing.
She became a Singapore citizen in 2007 and went on to enjoy a distinguished career representing Singapore on the international stage.
Yu was part of the Singapore women’s team that stunned China to win the 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships, reached a career-high world ranking of No. 9, and represented Singapore at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
At the Tokyo Games, she narrowly missed out on a medal after finishing fourth in the women’s singles.
Her determined performances in Tokyo earned praise from then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who described her as the embodiment of the “Singapore spirit”.
Life after retirement
Yu retired from competitive table tennis in 2022 after a career spanning 16 years with the national team.
She later became an assistant coach with the Singapore Table Tennis Association’s junior development squad before stepping down to pursue a Master of Public Administration programme at Nanyang Technological University.
According to The Straits Times, Yu became the first Singapore athlete to receive a full scholarship from the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration in 2023. She told the newspaper then that she hoped to eventually return to the table tennis scene with “a broader perspective and wider network”.
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