President’s Cup Table Tennis tournament showcases young talent

The 2024 President’s Cup Table Tennis Tournament brought together young table tennis players from across the country on Sunday (August 11) at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

The event featured several categories, including Novice Boys and Novice Girls, which pitted the players from the various summer camps across the country, ‘B’ Class Open, Doubles and Open.

In the Novice Boys bracket, Dane Johnson from the Ancient County of Berbice emerged as the champion, defeating his opponent with scores of 3-0 (2, 7, 8) in the final.

Johnson’s path to victory included wins over Carpio and Morgan in earlier rounds.

In the Novice Girls division, Tiffany Lord, also from Berbice, prevailed, securing the championship with a decisive 3-0 (6, 7, 4) victory in the final match over A. Hector.

The ‘B’ Class Open category saw Malachi Moore being crowned the winner after a hard-fought final match against Colin Wong.

Moore’s journey to the top included victory over strong competitor Umar Percival, while Wong got past Samara Sukhai, who had earlier defeated veteran Xen Goliath in a five-game thriller.

The Doubles Open event proved to be an exciting showcase of teamwork and skill.

The pair of Malachi Moore and Colin Wong claimed the championship title with a final score of 3-1 (7, 9, -3, 6) against the formidable duo of Niran Bissu and Elishaba Johnson.

Moore and Wong earlier defeated Nigel Bryan and Joel Alleyne, while Bissu and Johnson defeated Umar and Levi Percival.

The inaugural President’s Cup Table Tennis Tournament is a brainchild of President Irfaan Ali. It formed part of the inaugural President Games, which saw six disciplines competing in one venue.

“The competition not only crowned champions but provided a platform for these athletes to showcase their skills and gain valuable competitive experience and also highlighted the depth of young table tennis talent in the country,” the Guyana Table Tennis Association said in a press release.

“As the sport of table tennis continues to grow in popularity, events like the President’s Cup play a crucial role in nurturing the next generation of players and promoting the sport at the grassroots level.”