Former two-time Caribbean table tennis champion Chelsea Edghill is eager to resume her fledgling pro-career in Europe and to take on a new challenge in playing at a higher division in the coming weeks.
The 23-year-old former youth Olympian, who is currently in Portugal, represents Lusitania de Lourosa FC, a club she helped last season to move from division two to division one.
Edghill, in the process, recorded 10 wins and three losses – the highest win percentage on her team.
However, the real test of character and challenge awaits when she makes her division one debut in mid-November.
“The new season will present a few challenges because I’ll be playing in the highest league in Portugal and for me it’s exciting,” the former Caribbean under 13 and under 21 champ told Stabroek Sport.
She added that although she is excited, the new assignment could be career-defining.
“The level of work and play will be much higher and I’m a bit nervous heading into the season…I feel like it’s a make or break moment for me but at the same time I’m really focused and enthused about playing this season,” she added.
To quell her nerves, the Guyanese superstar explained that she will be drawing on the hard yards she has been putting in during the offseason and while on lockdown during the ongoing pandemic.
She explained that her offseason work began several months ago in June. Meanwhile, quizzed about her goals for the upcoming season, Edghill, who is a graduate from the Lindenwood University in the U.S with a degree in Chemistry, said: “I’m not sure about the team goals as yet but as an individual and a player, we would want to remain in the league and playing at the highest division. Personally, my goal is just to play my best, improve my game, and take it to the next level.”
The Guyanese, who is the 2018 national Sportswoman of the Year, is currently ranked 16th on the Portuguese circuit.
She is a member of the national female team which has qualified for the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World team championships.
The championships, which were scheduled to be held March 22-29 this year in Busan, South Korea, has been suspended provisionally because of the coronavirus pandemic.
