Two Queens residents are aiming for the gold and the “World’s Borough” is cheering for them all the way.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz presented Citations of Honor on Monday to Jennifer Wu from Flushing and Tahl Leibovitz from South Ozone Park – two table tennis players who are among the first Americans to qualify for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
“We in Queens are so proud of Jennifer and Tahl’s accomplishments and are eagerly anticipating seeing them compete in Rio de Janeiro,” Katz said. “Tahl and Jennifer are excellent role models for youth, and in Rio they will certainly be outstanding representatives of our country and the ‘World’s Borough.’”
Leibovitz and Wu qualified for the 2016 games – which will take place from Aug. 5 to Aug. 21 — by winning Gold Medals during the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games.
Wu, also known as Yue Wu, was born in Beijing but moved to the United States in 2008 and became a citizen earlier this year. During this summer’s Pan American Games, she won the women’s singles table tennis title and will now represent the U.S. in women’s table tennis in Rio.
The 25-year-old began playing table tennis as a child after a co-worker suggested to her mom that it would help improve Wu’s eyesight.
“I’m really happy to qualify for Rio 2016,” Wu said. “It will be the first time that I will have represented the U.S. at the Olympics, so I’m really looking forwards to the Olympic Games.”
Leibovitz, 40, is a native of Israel who moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 3 years old. He has become one of the most decorated athletes in American table tennis history and in December will be inducted into the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame.
Earlier this year, he won gold at the Parapan American Games, which feature athletes who have physical disabilities. The Paralympics in Rio will be held from Sept. 7 to 18.
The South Ozone Park resident has osteochondroma, a condition which is characterized by noncancerous but often painful bone tumors. While he was a teenager he often slept in the city’s subway system while he was homeless. Since then he has obtained degrees in urban affairs and clinical social work. He will soon also take the exam to become a licensed social worker with focus on underserved populations, such as veterans, addicts and homeless people.
“First picking up a table tennis racket at the South Queens Boys Club, then training at the Parks Department, then competing against the best players in the United States and finally the world, it has been such an amazing experience and a great journey,” Leibovitz said.
The upcoming 2016 games will be the first Olympics appearance for Wu and the fifth Paralympics for Leibovitz, who in 1996 won gold and in 2004 took home bronze.
“Queens have Olympic spirit and will be cheering hard for Jennifer and Tahl and all the members of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams when the Rio Games begin next summer,” Katz said.
