Nine-year-old Jasmine Billingy is one of Guyana’s most promising prospects and her personal coach Colin France is calling on all relevant stakeholders, including the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), to invest in her promising career.
France made the comments recently after Billingy, who is Guyana’s reigning under – 21 girls champion, won the Under – 11 category in the just-concluded West Indies LTD Silver Bowl Juniors in Trinidad and Tobago.
“I said it before; I really think this young woman can become a world-class player… she can be a force to be reckoned with not only in the Caribbean but worldwide,” said France, who has been training the Titans Table Tennis club player for the last three years.
He said Billingy is currently on par with other top juniors in the world, however, he emphasised that she would require additional topflight nurturing to surpass or even live up to those expectations.
“She’ll need exposure. She’ll need to leave these shores. She needs to get into that circle which will allow her to elevate her game.
“It’s going to call for some money,” France, a former three-time national men’s singles champion acknowledged and added: “If the GTTA can help to offset some of the expense along with others in corporate Guyana, then I believe it will go a long way in helping to nurture this young’s woman obvious talent.”
Billingy, according to France is hungry for success and at her age, trains five days per week in the mornings and during the evenings.
Her appetite and work ethic, he said, will land her in good stead to participate meaningfully in junior training camps around the world which should take her to the next level.
