Pedrey Ng on Perfectionism and Asian Games

Hong Kong table tennis player Pedrey Ng Wing-lam will make her Asian Games debut this month. The 22-year-old is a quantitative finance student at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Ng achieved a perfect score of 45 in her International Baccalaureate (IB) exam. She credits learning that she did not have to be perfect at everything with curing the temper tantrums that once threatened her table tennis career.

From Multisport Childhood to Table Tennis

As a child, Ng participated in rugby, swimming, athletics, cross country, tennis, and ice skating alongside table tennis. Her focus narrowed at age 10 when she earned a place in a select squad. She was elevated to Hong Kong's youth table tennis team a year later. She initially came to the sport because of her older brother, Pedro. He is also partially responsible for her English name. She explained that her childhood best friend was called Audrey and she wanted the same name but her mum did not allow it, so she combined Audrey with her brother's name and got Pedrey.

Balancing Academics and Olympic Dreams

Ng is five years into her university degree. She opted against studying overseas to maximise her sporting potential. She told the South China Morning Post that she believed in herself and that it is her dream to play in the Olympics and win a medal for Hong Kong. She added that is something not everybody has an opportunity to do, and if she wants to be an athlete, it has to be while she is young. Her academic perfectionism once spilled over into her sport. Not settling for second best almost ruined her career. Accepting failure became a key component of her success.

Preparing for the Asian Games

Poised for her debut at the continental multi-sport event, Ng represents a new generation of Hong Kong athletes. Her journey illustrates the balance between high academic achievement and elite sport. The story highlights her personal growth away from destructive perfectionism. Ng's story is one of recalibrating expectations. The athlete who once demanded flawlessness in all things now channels that drive more selectively. Her immediate focus is on the competition in Hangzhou.