The successful Pre-cadet and Cadet table tennis team which took top honours at the recent championships in Jamaica has come in for praise from none other than former Caribbean men’s singles champion George `The Chief’ Braithwaite himself.
Guyana won the overall team at the seventh annual Pre-cadet and cadet championships ahead of regional powerhouse Santo Domingo.
The team won the boys and girls’ U-13 team events en route to capturing five gold medals, five silver medals and eight bronze medals at the
“I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to the coaches and especially to the Guyanese Pre-Cadet teams on their success at the recently concluded Caribbean Championships,” Braithwaite told Stabroek Sport via e-mail. He added:”I am happy and proud to have received such good news because I am aware of the extraordinary talent and ability that Guyanese players possess throughout the years.” It was the first overall team title triumph for the Guyanese over traditionally strong teams such as Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo who have dominated the competition since it was introduced.
Guyana with 48 points, edged Santo Domingo on 46 points with Barbados third.
Apart from the U-13 team events Guyana also gained gold medals in the boys and girls’ U13 doubles and in the U-13 mixed doubles.
Braithwaite, who worked at the United Nations and who won the Caribbean men’s singles title in 1979, also represented the US at the Nagoya World Championships and was a member of the “Ping Pong Diplomacy” group.
Braithwaite urged the executive of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) to push onwards towards a brighter future for the nation’s racquet wielders.
“Our major obstacle has always been simply the lack of competitive exposure against other countries… but fortunately, that has changed and the future of Guyana Table Tennis seems brighter than ever. Now is the time to push on and create incentives for this and other groups,” Braithwaite declared.
