Guyana’s lone qualifier for the Latin American junior table tennis championships Chelsea Edghill along with her coach Idi Lewis will depart Guyana today for Mexico where Edghill will participate in the July 10-15 championships.
Edghill, the only Guyanese to qualify for the event after placing reaching the final of the girls’ U-15 singles at this year’s Junior Caribbean championships in Cuba, will be tested in Mexico.
Edghill had lost to Cuba’s Idalys Lovett Valdez 8-11,10-12, 7-11 and 8-11 in the gold medal match at the Caribbean championships which enabled her to compete in Mexico.
Edghill’s coach Lewis, a former Caribbean boys’ singles champion himself, said he believes that the 14-year-old has a definite shot at reaching the final. He says their main aim is to have Edghill reach at least the semi-finals of the championships which will enable her to qualify for the World Championships in Guam.
“This meet is also a qualifier for the World Championships in Guam and I know she will do well. But our main aim is for her to qualify for the World Championships in Guam and we’ll do all we can to see her qualify,” Lewis told Stabroek Sport in an exclusive interview.
Edghill, who trained three times a day with Lewis and Trinidad-based coach Dennis LaRose leading up to her departure, is expected to fend off all challenges when she steps to the tennis table.
“Her preparation was excellent and I’m satisfied with where she is at,” Lewis said adding …..”We started out with a lot of consistency work but coming on to competition time it was more tactical work, so I expect her to do well and possibly reach the final.”
Lewis, who has also won a bronze medal in the men’s singles at the Caribbean championships, said that his only major concern for Edghill would be her adjustment to the climate especially since Mexico is at a higher altitude than Guyana.
“My only concern for her is the climate and the altitude because it’s far higher than Guyana and dependent on how well she adapts to the climate will possibly determine her success,” Lewis pointed out
Lewis said players from neighbouring Brazil could turn out to be Edghhill’s stiffest competitors. He said that that the Brazilians are noted for their good play and could be a major threat for Edghill.
“Well the Brazilians are tough and the difference between our players and theirs is simply that they get to practice more and play more internationally and that helps them a great deal,” he said.
“I was talking to one of the coaches from the Dominican Republic and he said that they train five hours a day for six days a week and we don’t have that kind of system but the frequent international play is the major difference,” Lewis declared.
As they prepare for the Championships which start today, Lewis also took time to thank the president of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Henry Greene who he said came through on his promise to get Edghill to the Latin American Games once she qualified.
