NAGPUR: It was a perfect five for star city paddler Jennifer Varghese in the South Asian Youth Table Tennis championship, which concluded at the Dorjee Khandu Indoor Stadium in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, on Wednesday.
The 14-year-old won all the five gold medals on offer in the four-day international tournament. It was a five-nation qualifying tournament for the Asian Youth Championship.
Jennifer’s thumping show helped her to earn the India cap for the forthcoming Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship scheduled at Doha in July.
After helping the Indian team emerge champion in both the U-15 and the U-19 girls’ group, Jennifer made her presence felt in the individual events.
In the U-15 girls singles, Jennifer was a runaway hit, as she outplayed Avisha Karmakar 3-1 in the final.
After losing the first game 14-16, Jennifer brought parity by winning the second 12-10. She dominated the title clash by winning the next two games 11-8, 11-4.
In the girls doubles, Jennifer partnered with Avisha and blanked Nepal pair of Sushmita Khadka and Subhashree Shrestha 3-0 for the second gold medal in the individual event. Jennifer and Avisha won the summit clash in straight games 11-7, 11-6, 11-5.
In the mixed doubles title clash, Jennifer and PB Abhinand took the gold medal, beating their Sri Lankan rivals, Mohamed Akram Shafiullah and Kavindya Tamadi in straight games. The Indian duo won 11-9, 12-10, 12-10.
A confident-looking Jennifer was elated with her performance in the South Asian meet and wants to prove her mettle in the Asian championship. “I am extremely happy with my show here. I will give my best in the Asian Championship also where the competition will be tough as compared to the South Asian tournament,” Jennifer told TOI.
She added, “Before the tournament, I was confident to finish on top of the podium in all the events. However, the forthcoming Asian Championship in Doha will be of a different level. With the participation of paddlers from China, Japan and Korea, the competition will be really good, and I hope to give my best.”
Jennifer, who is being trained by R Rajesh at the ITTC Center at Chennai, is a student of Centre Point School, Nagpur.
Apart from hosts India, paddlers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan participated in the qualifying tournament.
RESULTS
U-15 Girls Singles: Jennifer Varghese (Ind) bt Avisha Karmakar (Ind) 14-16, 12-10, 11-8, 11-4; U-15 Girls Doubles: Jennifer Varghese/Avisha Karmarkar (Ind) bt Sushmita Khadka/Subhashree Shrestha (Nep) 11-7, 11-6, 11-5; U-15 Mixed Doubles: P.B. Abhinand/Jennifer Varghese (Ind) bt Mohammed Akram Md Shafiullah/Kavindya Tamadi Alagiyawadu 11-9, 12-10, 12-10.
