Kenneth Chiu Chung-hei (right) with classmate Christopher Sum Hiu-fung, were among the top scorers from La Salle College“Representing Hong Kong to take part in the Olympic Games to win medals has been my dream since I was young,” said Chiu. “If I choose only study then this dream will never come true. But study is very important too.”
The La Salle College student said he only spent about four hours a day sleeping but the rest of the time catching up on his academic performance since January for the DSE exams as he’d been concentrating on table tennis training before.
Chiu, who scored two level-five stars in liberal studies and economics, three level-five in mathematics, English and business, accounting and financial studies and a level-four in Chinese, had met the requirement of the conditional offer that the Law School at the University of Hong Kong gave him.
“When I was still at secondary school, I tried hard to maintain the development of both sides – academic and sports,” Chiu said. “But if I want to go further in table tennis – to the top, I have to give up on the other side.”
He said he would consult his table tennis coach, teachers at school and his family on how to choose his path for the coming years.
Chiu made his name in primary school after beating several higher-ranked players. The media called him the "table tennis genius" in recognition of his achievements in the sport. He was also a torch bearer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 East Asian Games.