The Bay Area plays a key role in the world of Olympic table tennis. One major reason is 888 Table Tennis Center in Burlingame.
The training ground for many Olympians and aspiring Olympians will be designated as an official USA Olympics training facility on April 23.
"It really just solidifies the fact that we are the national training center for our U.S. national team, Team USA, our ITTF program, which is an international program," Angela Batinovich said. "It really puts a flagship here for the United States and table tennis in general."
Hwan Bae and his brother Won are on the Australian national team but are training for the Olympic trials at 888.
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"It has good quality tables, quality floor, tables, players," Bae said. "Anything, you name it, it's all here."
The 30,000-square-foot, 30-table facility helps athletes with one of the biggest challenges: staying mentally strong.
"They’re working really hard," coach Xin Zhou said. "I think it should be more focused on mentally. They have to study all of the opponents and then have to be prepared for all the strategy."
Nikhil Kumar agrees. The San Jose native made the round of 32 at the Tokyo Olympics. He said thanks to his 888 training and his Olympic experience, he’s mentally ready as he tries to secure a spot in Paris.
"I knew what it required to be able to prepare and be the best version of myself, to be able to prepare for these moments and be ready," he said. "I think that did help me, especially on the mental aspect of it, to be mentally prepared that I know what I want out of these events and what it takes. That did help me a lot."
