… hails Britton’s performance at Ecuador Open

SHEMAR Britton came in for some praises from the president of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), Godfrey Munroe, following his performance at the Ecuador Open tournament, which wrapped up yesterday.
The 23-year-old was the lone Guyanese at the tournament which is part of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITT) Contender Series.

Britton won two matches before being knocked out in the round-of-16, where he went down in a hard-fought four sets to one, against India’s Manush Shah.
“His performance in Ecuador just underscores his talent, position potential; to do this without a coach in attendance limited acclimatisation,” Munroe said.

Speaking exclusively with Chronicle Sport, the GTTA president called Britton “an exceptional and rare talent; physically gifted, smart, tactical, technically inclined and tenacious with warrior spirit, discipline-committed, talented.”

According to Munroe, table tennis players internationally revere the Guyanese player’s abilities based on his unique style of play, which is premised on fast pace attacks, highly spinning and tricky serves, short inside play, quick and high-spun loops.

“We still believe he has more to develop but needs the investment to be able to attend training camps, competitions and tournaments globally and have the support systems of nutritional psychological support and physical preparation,” Munroe lamented.

Munroe, who once stood as one of the Caribbean’s top players during his time on the table, explained that “at the top level, the difference in application of tactical elements or misses can be the difference between winning and losing”.

Munroe explained that the GTTA will be working with the sport’s stakeholders to ensure that Britton receives all the support needed on his quest for qualification to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“The clock is ticking on us as an association in terms of getting him out to play in high-yield training and competitive environments hence we lose the opportunity of having one of the best prospects fulfil his potential,” Munroe stressed.

Meanwhile, the GTTA president is calling on sponsors to partner with them in supporting Britton, whom he said is “one of Guyana’s rare and exceptional talent”.