AT just 12 years old, Jonathan Van Lange has already established himself as one of the best young sportsmen in recent memory in not just one discipline, but two – table tennis and cricket.
In a recent conversation with Chronicle Sport the youngster revealed that in 2019 he has set himself quite a few goals, 2019 will indeed be a monumental year for the young prodigy.
Van Lange plays the ‘Gentleman’s Game’ for the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) where he is an accomplished batsman at the U-15 and U-17 levels while he wields his racquet at the Titans Table Tennis Club (TTTC) .
The outspoken Van Lange reflected on 2018 and noted; “It (2018) was good for me, but I want to achieve more in terms of moving to a higher level of competition and to up my game. This is because of the time and sacrifices I’ve put in, especially in table tennis and cricket. It was excellent and I hope my form continues in 2019.”
In the latter part of 2018, Jonathan travelled to the USA where he participated in a few table tennis tournaments where he was successful, most notably in the Joola North American Team Championships where he won the Division 10 category with team ‘Li Loeber’ where he was impressive playing over 20 games and just conceding one defeat.
Speaking of his experience, Jonathan revealed’ “playing in the USA, the exposure was awesome; it helped to elevate my game even more. Playing against different types of players, against players with different types of (racquet) rubbers, I had to learn to improvise and adapt my game”.
While the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) is yet to reveal what will be the selection criteria ahead of the Caribbean Table Tennis Championships set for Guyana in March, one of Van Lange’s immediate objectives is to qualify for the National Men’s team, something which is not impossible given his ability with a racquet in hand.
“My main objective, one of my immediate goals is to try to gain a spot on the national men’s team, if I get on to the men’s team I have a shot at qualifying for the Pan American championships when Guyana hosts the Caribbean Championship. This is something that I’m working hard towards.”
Quizzed about who he felt was his biggest opponent in table tennis at the moment, the evidently confident youngster declared; “My biggest rival in table tennis is my fitness. It’s not an opponent. If I put my mind to beat someone, I will. God has given me that ability to do what I have to do. The amount of training and the number of times I have competed is a big factor to my confidence and I know that it will pay off”.
He revealed, “I’m working on my fitness, I’m dieting, putting in the hours in training, swimming and cricket helps me with my fitness as well.”
Jonathan also spoke fondly of the Titans TTC which he noted “has been my home since I’ve started playing table tennis; it has a big part to play in where I am today in the game. Coach Dwain (Dick) is one of the people I credit with my development.
My main support system is my parents. My mom is always there for me, she ensures that I never miss practice and my dad is always supportive of whatever I do. My siblings also play a big part in terms of support; they usually send me whatever equipment I may need.”
Van Lange’s siblings are also his biggest motivators. “Most of my sisters and brothers are athletes and I grew up in a competitive environment. My drive to win has been fuelled by Titans who have really facilitated an outlet for me to be competitive, as they host junior tournaments on a regular basis”.
As 2019 runs its course, Van Lange will surely continue to grow in terms of talent and his development, with the right support and nurturing, he will be one of the very best that Guyana would have produced in not only table tennis but cricket as well.
