Young Tharushi Naveena Hettihewa, a grade seven student of Good Shepherd’s Convent Kotahena is shaping to be a promising table tennis star. Tharushi has come a long way since taking up table tennis five years ago, to reach the Western Province table tennis training pool. With the entry she will be able to further enhance [...]

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Tharushi aims to figure prominently in TT

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Young Tharushi Naveena Hettihewa, a grade seven student of Good Shepherd’s Convent Kotahena is shaping to be a promising table tennis star. Tharushi has come a long way since taking up table tennis five years ago, to reach the Western Province table tennis training pool.

With the entry she will be able to further enhance her career in table tennis as she eyes the national and international platforms with the potential of reaching stardom.

Tharushi was just 7-years-old when she first took interest in table tennis, as a grade two student at Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda. She trained under Chathura Dushan and Upul Saman at this tender age where she felt that her interest in the sport was growing stronger. She went on to represent Dharmasoka Ambalangoda in the All-Island Inter-School Tournament in the Under-10 Division ‘A’ category that eventually emerged as champions. Tharushi’s team then went on to win a series of competitions at national level during the same year.
In 2010, Tharushi represented the Under-12 team in the Division ‘C’ category and eventually she and her team won the overall championship at the All-Island Schools tournaments.

However she still was eligible to take part in the Under-10 age category where she became the Under-10 champion at the All-Island Schools Novices tournament conducted by the Premadasa Sports Foundation, representing Dharmasoka Ambalangoda. Then Tharushi got a surprising breakthrough when she was invited to join Good Shepherd’s Convent Kotahena earlier this year.

Representing Good Shepherd’s Convent Tharushi became the champion in the Under-12 Division ‘A’ category at the All-Island Schools competition held at S. Thomas College Indoor Stadium in Mt. Lavinia. At the same venue she was crowned the Under-12 champion, this time in the All-Island Intermediate Novices tournament conducted by the Tibhar Sports Club. Earlier this month Tharushi and her team representing Good Shepherd’s Convent at the Western Province Ranking Championship 2012 emerged as runners-up.

At this tournament conducted by the I and D Table Tennis Academy Tharushi and her doubles partner Shachini Alwis won the Under-12 doubles title. These successes followed at the competition for the All-Island International, Private and Semi-Government Schools 2012 when she emerged the Singles winner in the Under-12 age category.

With the pace that Tharushi is keeping, successes could be a common sight in the sport she adores. With the guidance of her coaches Asela Deepal, Nuwan Sampath and Lakshan Dharshana, Tharushi hopes to write a successful story in table tennis books while aiming to bring glory to her country. – NA

 




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