Head Coach
Yantao (Daniel) Wei, coming to New Zealand in 2016, the former player of China's national A team started his own Club Tornado Table Tennis in 2019.
Yantao started his table tennis career at the age of 5. At the age of 10, he won the Guangdong Province Champion Title in his age category, which made him be selected in the Guangdong Team at the age of 12 and became a professional athlete. In 2000, he played in the All-China National Junior Championship winning the Gold Medal in the U14 category. In 2002, he was selected as a member of the China National Team, competed for different tournaments internationally. His best rating result in the National Team was #12 at the age of 19.
Being a coach, Yantao’ s true passion is to build a new generation of table tennis players. The efforts started to show results within two years, starting with two gold medals in the boys’ doubles event in 2020 Waikato Open.
Later the achievements were surpassed by gold medals in every U11 Boys’ event, ultimately eclipsed by the triumph at the 2023 North Island Team and Individual Championships and in 2023 New Zealand Open, beat the experienced team of Auckland, claiming the U13 and Open Men’s Team Titles, U13 Girls’ Team and U13 Boys’ Singles Titles in North Island Individual and Team Championship, and National Title of all age groups of Boys’ Singles. There was countless medal success in age groups from U11 to U21 throughout 2021, 2022 and 2023, culminating with total domination of Boys’ junior Events in the country.
Rising Stars
TIMOTHY CHOI ( Born in 2007, New Zealand current Ranking No. 8 )
Timothy started playing table tennis at the age of 7. He quickly rose from the junior ranks. A serial national champion through the age groups, Timothy represented New Zealand at 2022 ITTF-OCEANIA Senior & Junior Championship in U15 Boys’ Team and U19 Boys’ Team and won the Open Men’s title in 2023 North Island Individual and represented New Zealand at 2023 ITTF-OCEANIA Senior & Junior Championship in Men’s Team. Timothy started training at Tornado at the end of 2022.
AUGUST XIAO ( Born in 2011, New Zealand current Ranking No. 17 )
August started training at Tornado at the age of 8. He quickly announced himself as a huge talent when he won his first Champion in U11 open Singles in 2021 Auckland Summer Open at the age of 9. He racked up many championship titles in 2021 and 2022 including a gold medal in the senior men’s doubles in 2022 North Shore Open and claimed his first National Title of U13 Boys’ Singles at 2022 New Zealand Open. He also reached the semi-final in U15 Boys’ Singles at the Nationals. He represented New Zealand U15 junior teams at 2022 ITTF-Oceania Senior & Junior Championship at the age of 11, makes him the youngest player of the whole Oceania area that attend the tournament.
August got his first Oceania Title in 2022, at the ITTF-OCEANIA HOPES WEEK & CHALLENGE and attend the 2022 ITTF-WORLD HOPES WEEK & CHALLENG at France as Oceania representative. He ranked No. 9 among the best 20 players from all around the world.
August won the TTNZ Most Improved Boy Award in 2022.
MAX HENDERSON (Born in 2003, New Zealand current Ranking No.15)
Max began playing Table Tennis when he was 11. Starting out practicing on the dinner table. Max played his first competition, at the AIMS games. After this he fell in love with the sport. He is the current Open Mixed doubles and u21 Men's Singles National Champion.
CARRIE GUO (Born in 2008, New Zealand Current Ranking, No. 8)
Carrie Guo recently won the 2023 Table Tennis Nationals U15 events has already accumulated an impressive collection of titles, including 2022 North Island Women’s Open Championship and Auckland Open Women's title. She also compete at the 2023 Australian Table Tennis Nationals and won the title of U15 girls singles and doubles champion.
ANYA CHEN ( Born in 2010, New Zealand current Ranking No. 15 )
Anya started training at Tornado at the age of 8. She won her first Champion in U13 Girls Singles in 2021 Auckland Summer Open at the age of 11. She racked up many championship titles in 2021 and 2022 including gold medal in the U13 girls’ doubles, in 2022 North Island Individual Championship, gold medal in U13 Girls ‘team in 2022 North Island Team Championship. Anya got her first Oceania Silver at the 2022 ITTF-OCEANIA HOPES WEEK & CHALLENGE. First National Team Title came in 2022 New Zealand Open in U13 Girls’ Team. In 2023, representing U15 Girls Team for New Zealand at 2023 ITTF-Oceania Senior & Junior Championship at the age of 13, Anya won the Oceania U15 Girls’ team’s title for New Zealand, and representing Oceania at the World’s Junior Championship in Slovenia.