Muthalib to uplift TT in Kandy

By Aubrey Kuruppu

Manzil Muthalib who represented Sri Lanka at the second Asian Table Tennis Championships held in Japan in the 1980s and is currently a vice president of the Kandy District TT Association is on a crusade to lift the drooping levels of this once popular sport in Kandy.

Muthalib shot to fame and prominence when he won the Under 14 and Under 16 titles at the Junior Nationals held in 1984. He excelled at the National School Games in 1986 where he was the only player to remain unbeaten. The award for the best TT player in the school's section came his way.

His next foreign sojourn was in 1989 when he participated in an intensive coaching camp for the world's leading players conducted by the Butterfly Dhojo Company of Japan.

Muthalib helped his teams to annex the All Island Inter Club title in 1988 and 1989 by winning eight matches out of ten. He beat many top-ranked players in the process, all this at the age of eighteen. He won the master's title (over 35) at the last national championships.

One of his most note-worthy achievement was winning the Fr. Rosati Memorial Prize at St. Anthony's Katugastota. This is awarded to the most popular student who has brought credit to his Alma Mater in the field of sports and studies by his courtesy and example.