By Daniel Haynes

THE Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) has hailed the work and success of its team that toured the Dominican Republic for the 21st Junior and Cadet Championships last week.Team Guyana, comprising four U-18 players in Shemar Britton, Kyle Edghill, Miguel Wong, Elishaba Johnson and the lone U-15 star Nicholas Romain along with coach/manager Linden Johnson, returned home earlier this week.
During a press conference yesterday at the National Gymnasium, president of the GTTA Godfrey Munroe commended the five-member team on their performances but acknowledged that there is still work to be done.
“We are very pleased to present this team and are very pleased with the results of the guys. But there still is some reservation knowing we could do better but we are still very pleased with the results,” said Munroe.
He also thanked the stakeholders and sponsors, the parents of the players as well as the players themselves for the dedication they showed to the sport.
Also speaking was coach Johnson who contended, “We matched up really well with the other players from the other countries; we only fell short in some areas due to mental lapses and brief lapses in focus. Otherwise we did well, given the preparation time and we can definitely improve for the next tournament.”
He also noted the need for a specialist to deal with the mental aspect of sport.
Bronze medallist Shemar Britton summed up his performance through the tournament, saying, “I think I personally performed to my best given my preparation for the CAPE examinations and not being able to train as much as I’d like. It was good to see the distance between the other players.”
Elisheba Johnson, who partnered Kyle Edghill for doubles gold added, “We were a bit shaky at the beginning of the tournament but our chemistry came back. Our skills level was on par with them but our confidence was far higher because we knew we had to win and we were not prepared to lose”
“It was an eye-opener and a great experience for me and I will get better,” said Romain, the only U-15 player in the tournament. Miguel Wong said, “I was a bit disappointed in how I played,; my focus was not there but I’ll be better for the next tournament.”
The team copped one gold, two silver and one bronze and are currently preparing for the Pan American Junior and Cadet Championships scheduled for June 25-30 in Vancouver, Canada.