The ITTF World Youth Championships 2024 concluded in spectacular fashion in Helsingborg, marking several historic milestones alongside exceptional performances across all categories.

Germanys Annett Kaufmann produced a memorable display in the Under-19 Girls Singles final, securing gold with an emotional 4-2 victory (11-4, 1-11, 11-6, 11-6, 1-11, 12-10) over Chinas Zong Geman. Kaufmanns triumph was complemented by Hana Godas historic bronze medal the first-ever U19 Singles medal for Africa at the ITTF World Youth Championships.

In the Under-19 Boys Singles final, Chinas Huang Youzheng demonstrated exceptional skill to secure gold with a commanding 4-0 victory (11-8, 11-2, 11-0, 11-4) over teammate Wen Ruibo. The event also witnessed history as Brazils Leonardo Izuka claimed bronze, becoming the first Pan-American player to medal at the ITTF World Youth Championships, sharing the podium with fellow bronze medallist Yuhi Sakai of Japan.

The Under-15 categories saw remarkable achievements, particularly from Chinas Li Hechen who completed a perfect sweep of all four gold medals in Helsingborg. After earlier triumphs in Team, Mixed Doubles, and Doubles events, Li secured his fourth gold in Boys Singles with a 4-1 victory (11-5, 11-6, 11-4, 1-11, 11-7) over compatriot Tang Yiren.Another historic moment came as Irans Benyamin Faraji secured bronze Irans first-ever medal at the ITTF World Youth Championships alongside Korea Republics Lee Seungsoo.

In the Girls Under-15 Singles, top seed Yao Ruixuan demonstrated her superiority with a composed performance, claiming gold in straight games against Hu Yi with a 4-0 victory (11-9, 11-5, 11-3, 11-2). Chinese Taipeis Chen Min-Hsin and Germanys Koharu Itagaki rounded out the podium with bronze medals.

This championship has been a tremendous showcase of the sports future stars, orchestrated brilliantly by the Swedish Table Tennis Association. As we bid farewell to a thrilling and eventful ITTF World Youth Championships 2024, the aspirations of these young talents propel them towards the next chapter in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Table tennis enthusiasts can relive all the action on the World Table Tennis YouTube channel and find photos here.