Currently preparing for Pan American Games, hopes to qualify for Olympics

Britton grateful for results…

By Timothy Jaikarran

After competing in the 61st Seniors Caribbean Table Tennis Championship, Guyana walked away with three silver and seven bronze medals and ended the tournament in second place. For Shemar Britton, he was able to snag one silver medal in U-21 category and two bronzes in the men’s singles and teams respectively.
In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, Britton, when asked about his performance, said, “I’m a bit disappointed not to secure a gold for Guyana, but contented with the fact that I played hard right throughout the tournament. I just wasn’t competition ready enough; these other guys are pros – I’m in school, so when the crucial games came around and the scores were tight, that’s when the rustiness tends to show up . I’m studying law, finding the time to balance is hard, it requires a lot of discipline and missing out on other activities like parties, etc, but my love for table tennis drives me to continue.”

Britton relayed to this publication that playing table tennis has been a journey for him, as to make it to where he was required a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. He noted that if it wasn’t for his coach Idi Lewis taking him under his wing at a tender age, he would not be the player he is today. Britton recalled that at the age of 12, in his first year of Queen’s College he was overlooked as a young table tennis player, having just barely made the U-13 national team as the third man. After losing and not making the cut , he was introduced to Coach Lewis and began training under his guidance. Within a matter of two months he became the U-13 national champion; in a year and a half, Britton was able to achieve a bronze medal in the U-15 Caribbean championship and two years later he became the youngest and only player to ever win the U-15, U-18, U-21 and men’s title at one tournament. Britton is currently preparing for the Pan American Games singles qualifier next month in Lima, Peru, he will also be focusing on 2020 which he deemed as an Olympic year during which he would be locked in on trying to qualify.
In closing, Britton said, “I’d like to thank my parents Dawn and Basil Britton; president of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) , Godfrey Munroe; the (Guyana Olympic Association) GOA , my club Queens Park in Trinidad, my Trinidad Coach Aaron Edwards, Idi Lewis, my teammates, Sydney Christophe and everyone who came out to support.”