The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) has said that the team that went to the Caribbean Cadet and Junior Table Tennis Championships in St Kitts last week performed at their best and the body is pleased with the outcome although Puerto Rico dethroned Guyana to take the overall title.
The GTTA held a press conference yesterday to review the outcome of Guyana’s performance at the championships.
Guyana who won in emphatic fashion last year when the event was hosted here at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall settled for third place behind champions Puerto Rico and Jamaica and secured a total of seven medals – two silver and five bronze.
According to national coach Linden Johnson who toured with the team to St Kitts, one of the major factors that contributed to Guyana’s slide was the inclusion of Puerto Rico in this year’s championship since the Spanish-speaking island is known for their dominance in the sport throughout the region.
Another factor was that the GTTA selected a team of mostly newcomers to the regional tournament as compared to the more seasoned players from the other countries.
“I am very satisfied with the performance of the team because most of them were relatively new to this type of tournament and they responded well in competition against some of the Caribbean’s best players,” said Johnson.
General Secretary Godfrey Monroe also shared the same view since he said that looking at the team that took part last year as compared to this year, experience played a major factor.
Monroe who is also an accomplished player of the sport said that the absence of a few key players from the Guyanese side also contributed to the outcome of the team’s showing.
He singled out the unavailability of tennis champion Michele John who won the Girls Under-18 title last year and Ambrose Thomas who played a major part in Guyana winning the title last year.
Exams and mental preparedness also played a part. Monroe noted that since most of the players had to deal with the issue of finance leading up to the games.
National coach Johnson however pointed out that at the championships the level of professionalism displayed by the Puerto Ricans was amazing and they showed their commitment to the sport.
He said that the team had their own psychologist which sometimes is needed at competitions of such magnitude since focus plays a major factor in the sport. Nevertheless Johnson pointed out that he along with the two other coaches who travelled with the team, Linden France and Muniram Persaud, provided the much-needed support for the players.
Positive outcome
The GTTA says that a lot of positives came out of the games, since some of the young players were able to step up and commended the Under 15 players who won silver in the boys’ team event and silver in the Girls doubles through the pair of Adeille Rosheuvel and Chelsea Edghill.
“I think we were able to see the future of the sport as it relates to these young players because they really played well, not taking nothing from the seniors, it was hard luck but I think we are pleased with their performance and we (GTTA) will now have to make sure we keep these players in training” said Munroe.
Meanwhile, a lot was being expected from Nigel Bryan and Trenace Lowe who are known for their elegant style of play and also played a major role in Guyana’s 2008 title run but just like the other players in the tournament, they felt the heat of the Puerto Ricans racket.
However, Lowe did make her presence felt in the event making it to the quarterfinal in the Girls’ Under-18 before going out in the semi final to Lizette Maldonado of Puerto Rico 3-4. She managed to claim a bronze medal in the category.
Bryan along with Chelsea Edghill and Denzel Duff bowed out in the quarterfinals but they all got bronze in the team competition.
The GTTA says that they will keep the team in train for the upcoming Latin and Central American table tennis tournament and given the exposure at the games, they are confident that the players will make amends.
