Education Sports
Young Indian TT players prove their class
View(s):Young Indian Table Tennis players proved their metal in Table Tennis in the South Asian region when they won championships in all categories at the South Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships 2017 concluded last Sunday at S. Thomas’ College Indoor Stadium tables.
In a well organised tournament taken part by host Sri Lanka, champions India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Maldives the Indians made their way to clinch the championship from the preliminary rounds when they registered straight wins over their opposing teams.
India won twelve gold medals while closest rivals Sri Lanka won four silver and six bronze medals with Maldives clinched two Bronze medals and the last Bangladesh had to be satisfied with only one bronze medal.
India won gold medals in Cadet Girls and Boys team events, Individual Singles and Doubles events of Junior Boys and Girls. In the Junior Girls Doubles Kamath Archana Girish partnered by Pareek Priyanka defeated Sri Lankan Hansani Piumila and Imasha De Silva combination 3-0 and in the Boys Doubles Thakkar Manav and Virmani Parth beat K.D.V. Madushan and Umesh Tennekoon of Sri Lanka 3-1.
Indian paddler Thakkar Manav won the Junior Boys Singles title defeating fellow Indian Virmal Parth 3-0. Lankan K.D.V. Madushan lost to Virmani Parth in the Boys Singles semi-finals. Sri Lankans Imasha De Silva and Hansani Piumila playing in the Girls Singles semi-finals lost to Indians Kamath Archana and Pareek Priyanka.
In the final stage of the tournament the Indians changed their pattern of play and Sri Lankans whom much was expected failed to adjust to the Indian play to go down tamely to finish as the first runner-up.
- Lakshman Ranasinghe;
Pix by Anuradha Bandara
