By Daniel Haynes
IT is impossible to talk about table tennis in Guyana without mentioning the name Shemar Britton in the conversation. At the age of 17, the 2013 Guyanese junior sportsman of the year has the world as his oyster. Shemar Ronaldo Britton was born on July 13, 1998 and is the older of two children. He started playing table tennis at the age of 9 as just another sport in the Physical Education Class at Mae’s Primary.
However, his interest in the sport extended far beyond the boundaries of his P.E class. From the time he picked up the racquet to this present time he has dominated.
According to Britton, his most notable moments came at the age of 14 when he was the 2013 Guyanese Junior Sportsman of the Year
. He also said that in the same year he became the youngest ever Guyanese men’s champion. In the year 2014 he became the first Guyanese to win the men’s Super Bowl table tennis title in Trinidad and Tobago
Despite being the table tennis genius that he is, his time is not dominated by the sport he loves. He is an avid football player and an especially good one, having represented both his former school Queen’s College and his current school Bishops’ High. He is also equally dedicated to his studies and is currently preparing for the CAPE examinations.
“I understand that CAPE is on another level, but I’m looking to do even better than I did at CSEC,” said Britton. For the record, his CSEC grades were excellent. He procured eight grade ones and three grade twos from the 11 subjects he wrote.
When asked what drives his success and his life, he laughed, saying: “I’m driven by the fear of being average. It’s why I push myself so hard… when the chips fall, people must never be able to say that about me.”
Britton recently returned from The Dominican Republic where he got a bronze medal in the singles 18 and under category and a silver medal in the doubles 18 and under category. He is currently preparing for the Pan-American Junior Championships, which he will attend after CAPE.