Caribbean junior champion Michelle John will depart this morning for Trinidad and Tobago where she will compete in the Silver Bowl tournament.
John’s trip was made possible by R&S Shipping Enterprise who yesterday gave the racquet wielder a cheque to cover her airfare.
Proprietor of the establishment, Raul Ramischand, who is the nephew of the President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Anil Nandlall, said that this gesture was his company’s way of giving back to the community.
He added that he had read of the success of John from the local media and was happy to help her continue to excel in the sport.
John, who was scheduled to have left the country early this morning, said yesterday that she had high expectations for herself in this tournament and that her confidence had been fuelled by the fact that she had captured the gold medal in girls’ under 18 single at the Caribbean Junior, Cadet Table Tennis Championships last weekend.
“I feel very confident in myself going into this tournament, and I know that my game is on right now because I managed to survive a tight match against Trenace (Lowe) just last week at the Caribbean Championships,” she said.
Apart from her airfare, GTTA President and nephew also funded John’s airport tax.
A number of other Guyanese players will also compete in the tournament.
Lowe, runner-up to John in the Carribean junior girls final, is already in Trinidad while rising starts Denzel Hopkinson and Stephan Patoir will leave today for the twin-island republic.
Another player Hewley Griffith is also expected to compete in the prestigious tournament which will see former Caribbean men’s singles champion Lionel Darcuiel competing.
GTTA official Harold Hopkinson, will also be making the trip to Trinidad.
With ticket in hand, and confidence boosted by being the Caribbean champion, John assured the GTTA President and Ramischand that she will bring home glory for her country when she returns on Monday.
