London: Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won a bronze medal on Saturday at the 2026 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the biennial tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai, and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team obtained bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals.

According to Focus Taiwan, in the opening match, the 24-year-old Lin took the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12, and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in the second match, losing in straight games 8-11, 8-11, and 4-11.

In the deciding match, 17-year-old Kuo was defeated by Shunsuke Togami 8-11, 9-11, and 5-11, ending Taiwan’s run in the tournament. It marked the second time Taiwan has reached the semifinals of the world team championships, following its bronze-medal finish at the 2024 edition, which featured veteran player Chuang Chih-yuan.

The current roster, led largely by younger players, is also expected to represent Taiwan at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, scheduled for September and October.