Seepaul delighted T&T display in Costa Rica badminton events
NIGEL SIMONSenior Multimedia Reporter
nigel.simon@guardian.co.tt
Former top player Anil Seepaul has expressed his satisfaction with the performances of T&T players who competed in the recent
Costa Rica Future Series Junior and Senior Badminton Tournaments at the BN Arena, Atillo, San Jose, Costa Rica
In the juniors, local player Ethan Ramcharan, a triple-crown winner at last month’s Junior Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) Championship, won the triple crown.
In the Boys Under-17 Singles decider, 14-year-old Ramcharan beat Gonzalo Jose Barrantes Retana 21-13, 21-13 while he
He then paired with Vishal Ramsubhag to lift the Boys Under-19 Doubles title after a tense 20-22, 21-10, 21-4 triumph over Melvin Leonardo Calzadilla Castillo and Henry Alexander Molina Ayala.
In the Under-17 Mixed Doubles, Ramcharan teamed up with another T&T player, Isabelle Waller, for a 21-12, 21-8 victory over Jose Fabricio Cambronero Rojas and Eva Camila Dinarte Rojas, and in the Under-19 Boys Singles, he secured a bronze medal.
In the Girls Under-17 Doubles final, T&T’s Samiya Karim and Isabelle Waller beat Costa Ricans Xiao Hui Liang Cen and Maria Laura Lopez Mesen. 21-5, 21-8.
However, in the Under-15 Girls Singles final, Karim went under to Alexa Pamela Chavarria Castro. 12-21, 14-21, while in the mixed doubles, Karim and Costa Rican Danny Santiago Amador Arguedas were beaten by Henry Alexander Molina Ayala and Marcela Esmeraldo Guardado Alvarenga. 9-21, 11-21, to end with a 0-2 record in the three-team round-robin series and got bronze, while Karim also got bronze in the girls doubles with Barbadian Sahara Brathwaite.
Among the seniors, top local women’s player Chequeda De Boulet competed in both the singles and doubles competition, teaming up with Guyana’s Priyanna Ramdhani in the latter against top-quality opposition from Brazil, Canada, Peru, Italy, Guatemala, El Salvador, Guyana, Portugal, Paraguay, Morocco, Germany, Chinese Taipei, Barbados, and the host country.
In the singles, De Boulet, competing in her second international competition since her Achilles injury, reached the quarterfinals before she was defeated by Brazil’s Maria Julia Da Cruz Nascimento 9-21, 14-21, while in the doubles, she partnered Ramdhani for a doubles after they were beaten by second seeded Fernanda Munar and Rafaela Munar of Peru 10-21, 11-21 in their semifinal.
Reflecting on the performances of the players, Seepaul, the coach of the team, said, ‘The T&T players exceeded our expectations, with impressive performances across multiple categories.
“The players, especially Ramcharan (Ethan), demonstrated exceptional talent and are considered the future of badminton in this country.
“Their successes in Costa Rica are a testament to the progressive development of the sport in the country, and the team aims to compete against the best and wants to rank among the top countries in the Pan American region.
Chandrika Ramsubhag, President of the T&T Badminton Association and the father of Vishal Ramsubhag, said he too was delighted with the performances of the players and saw it as all part of the development of the local players.
Ramsubhag sees it as good preparations for World Juniors.
The senior Ramsubhag said, “Costa Rica was a good development tournament for our junior players. We did well capturing four gold medals, and it shows that we are on the right track, and it was also bode well for the players who are heading to China to compete at the YONEX BWF World Junior Championships 2024, which will take place in Nanchang, China, next month.
For China, the T&TBA has named a team inclusive of Ramsubhag (V), Jace Smith, Amara Urquhart, Sanna Guria, and Samiya Karim, while the senior Ramsubhag is the team manager, with Seepaul serving as coach.
The Mixed Team Championships (Suhandinata Cup) will be contested from September 30 to October 5, while the Individual Championships (Eye-Level Cups) run from October 7 – 13.
In August, the quintet of Vishal Ramsubhag (Boys Under-19), Amara Urquhart (Girls Under-19), T’Shelle Barnes (Girls Under-17), Ethan Ramcharan (Boys Under-17), and Asia Lee Waller (Girls Under-13) all completed treble crown performances at the Junior CAREBACO Championship, and both Seepaul and Ramsubhag (C) were pleased with the returns as it served the players good preparation for China as well.
Ramsubhag (V) and Smith have been entered in the Men’s Under-19 Singles, while Urquhart, Karim, and Guria will contest the Women’s Under-19 Singles.
The pairs of Ramsubhag (V) and Guria and Smith and Urquhart will compete in the mixed doubles, while Ramsubhag and Smith will combine for the men’s under-19 doubles and Urquhart and Guria in the women’s under-19 doubles.
About the team’s readiness, the older Ramsubhag said, ‘We have a team registered of two boys and three girls to go, but we are still awaiting confirmation of the funding.
He said, “We have submitted our proposal to the Office of the Prime Minister Sports and Cultural Fund, and up to yesterday we submitted some extra documentation that was required from us, and right now we are just awaiting approval from them, so we are very hopeful things will pan out in our favour. So far, we have bought tickets for some of the players with money out of our own pockets, but there are some who cannot afford it and are awaiting the funds from the government to do so, noted the senior Ramsubhag.
The T&TBA boss noted there were stiff penalties and fines for teams failing to show at the event in China.
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