Lankan women qualify for 2020 World Table Tennis Championship
Sri Lanka TT skipper Ishara Madurangi
Sri Lanka women qualified for the 2020 World Table Tennis (TT) Championship to be held in March in Busan, Korea.
The women paddlers were ranked 15 out of 24 countries at recent the Asian TT Championship in Yogyakartha, Indonesia. Sri Lanka men’s team was ranked 23 from 33 countries, at the same tournament. Playing for the 13 to 18 positions, the Sri Lanka women’s team lost 1-3 to Philippines. Isara Madurangi won one game and lost one. In the second game, Sri Lanka defeated Mongolia 3-1 with Madurangi leading from the front winning two matches, while Erandi Warusawithana won one match.
In the doubles event, Ishara Madurangi and Bimandee Bandara lost 0-3 to Thailand, while Erandi Warusawithana and Jithara Warnakulasuriya won 3-0 against Jordan 3-0 and lost 0-3 to Singapore.
In the last event of the championship, the Mixed Doubles, Sri Lanka lost 0-3 to Singapore in each of their two matches. The pairings were Rohan Sirisena-Ishara Madurangi and Supuna Warusawithana-Erandi Warusawithana.
Skipper of the Sri Lanka women’s table tennis team, Ishara Madurangi when contacted by Sunday Times said that she is very proud of her team’s performance at the just concluded Asian TT Championship in Indonesia. “The Asian Championship has always been a tough competition where most of the world’s best TT players compete,” says Madurangi.
At the last championship Sri Lanka were ranked 19th and in this year’s edition Sri Lanka finished in the 15th position. In the Team event Sri Lanka defeated Maldives and lost to World Champions Singapore.
But in the deciding match against Mongolia Sri Lanka came up with flying colours to beat them. Sri Lanka has been losing to Mongolia in the previous encounters.
Knowing that it is the last international event to take part in before the South Asian Games, the team was determined to perform well so that rankings will go a long way.
In preparation for the World event, the players have started individual training and later hope to practice as a team. The final team will be selected later. She also said that this tour was in the balance till the last moment. Later the players decided to pay for their expenses knowing the value of this tournament for the SAG.
She also paid a glowing tribute to the President of the Interim Committee Sajith Jayalal for the support he lent with the limited resources. She concluded, as Sri Lanka won a bronze medal at the last SA Games, this year her team aims at a Silver medal.