Table Tennis prodigy 12-year-old Jasmine Billingy captured three titles including the women’s singles prize at the just concluded National Independence Table Tennis championships played at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue.
The diminutive player won the girls’ Under-13 and Under-15 titles but was denied a fourth crown by her arch-rival and reigning Caribbean Champion Samara Sukhai who won the girls Under-19 title.
The two players were neck-and-neck in all four divisional playoffs but it was Billingy who prevailed to take three of the championship awards.
Akira Watson and Seona Barker were joint third place in all four categories.
Joel Alleyne was crowned men’s singles champion with Nigel Bryan securing the runner up spot and Elishaba Johnson and Ebo McNeil sharing the third position. Alleyne won a hard fought 3-2 win against Bryan with the scoring being 9-11, 12-10, 11-7, 8-11 and 11-9.
In the semi-finals, Bryan, who defeated Jonathan Van lange in an earlier encounter, defeated Ebo McNeil 11-6, 11-13, 11-6 and 11-7), while Alleyne got the better of Elishaba Johnson also by a 3-1 score line 11-5, 10-12, 12-10 and 11-5.
In other results, Niran Bissu won the ‘B’ Class Open division from Levi Percival, Orin Hickerson and McNeil. The Novices champion was Jaden Trotman who came out ahead of J’kell Whyte, Cassidy Singh and Akeem Hall.
Van Lange won the Boys Under-19 title with Umar Percival finishing second and Malachi Moore and McNeil joint third.
Moore, however, secured victory in the boys’ Under-15 division ahead of McNeil, Darius Daniels and Yeshua Hutson.
Kayden Meusa was the winner of the boys’ Under-13 title with Chase Outar placing second and Aaron Hopkinson and Daniels joint third.
Daniels came out on top in the boys Under-11 category ahead of Hopkinson, Abiniora Johnson and Zion Hickerson.
Hickerson won the boys’ Under-9 division from Noel Persaud.
The awards presentation ceremony was held yesterday at the National Gymnasium. Assistant Director of Sport Melissa Dow-Richardson congratulated the winners and encouraged them to be disciplined.
She said that the government has been investing heavily in table tennis which is one of 12 core sports earmarked by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport for future development.
According the Dow-Richardson, a former national table tennis player, the investment is already bearing fruit with Guyana hosting major regional tournaments including the just concluded CAC championships.
There were also brief remarks by former Chief Education Officer Dr. Marcel Hudson.
The tournament was organized by National table tennis coach Linden Johnson.
