TT players whip Bolivia 3-0 but place sixth
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
August 10, 2002
Guyana’s men table tennis team settled for sixth place in the eight team competition of the VII South American Games, currently underway in Brazil.
According to reports from Brazil, the local racquet wielders secured their only victory of the men’s team competition by beating Bolivia 3-0 yesterday morning but lost 1-3 to Peru in a playoff for fifth position. Jonathan Sankar recorded Guyana’s lone victory.
In securing their 3-0 victory against Bolivia, Jonathan Sankar came from two sets down to upstage Miguel Koler 7-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-7, while Matthew Khan brushed aside Jose Miguel Rojas 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-3. Christopher Franklin gained a walk over.
In the play-off against Peru for fifth place, Sankar secured the locals’ lone victory by beating Augusto Yi 11-6, 12-10, 11-8, Khan lost 7-11, 8-11, 5-11 to Giancarlo Cema and 6-11, 8-11, 6-11 to Juan Pablo Koo who also beat Franklin 8-11, 7-11, 8-11.
In the ladies competition, after losing by 3-0 margins to both Brazil and Chile on Thursday, the locals once again suffered a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Peru. Jody-Ann Blake lost to Alicia Guerrero 11-7, 8-11, 3-11, 11-13, while Vida Moore extended Guadalupe Sanches to five games but lost out in the end (11-1, 7-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5) Peru’s Melissa Vargas secured a walk over.
The females were drawn in a group with Chile, Brazil and Peru, but lost all three of their encounters by 3-0 margins. Tennis continues today with doubles action.
In boxing, local boxer Lennox Allen failed to get past his first round opponent, Ernesto Oliveto of Argentina, losing the junior welterweight bout by a 16-7 points decision.
Guyana’s last hope of securing a boxing medal lies with Rayon O`Neill who takes to the ring today.
In swimming, despite winning his heat of the 50-metre free style yesterday, local swimmer Onan Thom failed to qualify for the final. Ronald Ying, another local swimmer, placed third in his heat, but he too, failed to qualify for the final.
In the swimming pool, Thom clocked 25.27 seconds in winning his 50-metre free style heat, while Ying returned 25.82 seconds in placing third. However, on the basis of their times recorded, they finished 7th and 11th respectively in the 14-man event.
The 50-metre free style final was won by Brazil’s Rodrigo de Oliveira in 24 seconds flat, while Antonio Paz Vielmo, also of Brazil, placed second in 24.02 seconds. Venezuela’s Albert Subirats finished third in 24.24 seconds.
In the 100m back stroke event, on Thursday, Thom finished 6th in the eight man competition, but improved his best time in the event from 1:09:98 to 1:05:30. The race was won by Daniel Novak of Brazil in a time of 59:35 seconds.