Emanuel Otálvaro, a 16-year-old table tennis player from Rionegro, Colombia, defeated China’s Hechen Li 4-1 to reach the semifinals of the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Kienyke reported.
Otálvaro, who turned 16 this year, has built his position through a series of international medals in 2024 and a three-year training stint in Europe that began when he was 11.
Beating China 4-1 to Reach the Dakar Semifinals
Otálvaro’s path to the semifinals included a quarterfinal win over Hechen Li of China, decided 4-1 in games.
The 16-year-old has combined the technical foundation he developed abroad with the competitive experience gained against older age groups in 2024.
Leaving Rionegro at 11 for Spain and Portugal
Otálvaro García was born in Las Cuchillas de San José, a rural vereda in Rionegro, Antioquia, where he first picked up a paddle as a child. According to the Colombian Olympic Committee, he made the decision to leave Colombia at age 11 to pursue training in Europe, traveling with his coach, Camilo Giraldo.
#Dakar2026 | ¡Histórico! Emanuel Otálvaro venció 4-1 al chino Hechen Li, sexto del ranking de su categoría, y clasificó a las semifinales del tenis de mesa en los Juegos Olímpicos de la Juventud. 🏓 El tenimesista de Rionegro ya había ganado 4-0 al español Ladimir Mayorov en… pic.twitter.com/pBxzMHrlfq
The pair settled first in Spain and later in Portugal, where Otálvaro trained for three years against top European junior players. The move separated him from his family and local environment but allowed him to develop the technique and match experience that would later define his rise in the sport.
The 2024 Medal Run: From Slovenia to Sweden
The year 2024 marked Otálvaro’s breakthrough on the international stage. In August, he won bronze in the under-15 category at the WTT Youth Contender in Otočec, Slovenia. One month later, he added another bronze, this time in the under-17 division at the WTT Youth Contender in Bangkok, Thailand, competing against players older than him.
Esta estrella, Emanuel Otálvaro, nació hace 16 años en la vereda Las Cuchillas, en Rionegro, Antioquia. Vendía tamales y hacía dulces para vender ahora es uno de los mejores del tenis de mesa en el mundo. Su familia organizaba rifas para patrocinarle sus viajes a competir.…
October brought his first gold medals: one at the WTT Youth Contender in Cuenca, Ecuador, in the under-19 category, and another at a tournament held in his home region of Rionegro, Antioquia. The most significant result came in November at the International Table Tennis Federation World Youth Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden, where Otálvaro partnered with Italy’s Danilo Faso to win silver in under-15 doubles. The medal was the first ever won by Colombia at the World Youth Championships.
Ranked Second in the World and Signed by a German Club
At the start of 2025, Otálvaro held the No. 2 spot in the world under-15 rankings with 2,205 points, trailing only South Korea’s Lee Seungsoo. His performances also attracted attention in European professional table tennis: in mid-2024, he signed with ASV Grünwettersbach, a German club competing in the Bundesliga, one of the sport’s top leagues.
The Colombian Table Tennis Federation nominated him for the Altius Awards in the category for promising athletes in Olympic sports, recognizing his rapid ascent from local tournaments in Antioquia to the world junior stage.
The Semifinal Matchup in Dakar
Otálvaro now stands among the final four players in Dakar. A win in the semifinal would send him to the final for a chance at gold; a loss would set up a bronze-medal match. The Youth Olympic Games format pairs the remaining semifinalists in a single-elimination bracket to decide the medalists.
Whatever the result, the 16-year-old has already extended Colombia’s presence in international table tennis, adding the Dakar semifinal appearance to his silver medal at the 2024 World Youth Championships.
Emanuel Otálvaro: Key Details
Where was he born?
At the start of 2025, he was ranked No. 2 in the world under-15 standings with 2,205 points, behind South Korea’s Lee Seungsoo.
In mid-2024, he joined ASV Grünwettersbach, a club in Germany’s Bundesliga.
In November 2024, he won silver in under-15 doubles with Italy’s Danilo Faso at the World Youth Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden — Colombia’s first medal at that event.
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