Guyana bow out early in Latam table tennis qualifiers

– Edghill, Britton to return for mixed doubles

Guyana is unlikely to see representation in the singles’ table tennis arena at the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games, as the entire team missed the mark (some by a narrow margin) on their opening day at the Olympic Qualifiers competition in Argentina.
Guyana was represented by a four-member team along with a coach at the 2021 Latin America Singles and Mixed Doubles qualifiers which got going on Tuesday morning in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Shemar Britton, Joel Alleyne, Natalie Cummings, Chelsea Edghill and Coach Idi Lewis comprised Guyana’s team.
Alleyne came in as a replacement for National Champion Christopher Franklin, who opted not to travel.
According to Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) President Godfrey Munroe, the task of getting the team to Argentina in the midst of a coronavirus surge there was an uphill one.
“I can say that this has been a truly Herculean task to get the team there, and the cost factors have tripled, quadrupled now, given the protocols for COVID. As you’re aware, Argentina recently had a spike (in cases), so the visa requirements and regulations were tightened,” The GTTA President shared prior to the team’s departure.
He added, “At one point, we weren’t sure if this qualification event would’ve been held, but we’ve been given assurance by the local organising committee, which comprises the Argentine Federation and the Olympic Committee, that they’re working with the Government to ensure that (happens).”
The racket action served off on Tuesday morning with the men’s singles competition, in which Joel Alleyne went down 4 sets to none at the hands of Chile’s Gustavo Gomez: 11-6, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2.
Although missing out, Shemar Britton had a better showing, going down 4-2 to Paraguay’s Alejandro Toranzos. Their sets went 11-5, 8-11, 11-2, 8-11, 11-3, 11-3.
Munroe had shared that he believed Chelsea Edghill, who trains professionally, had the best prospects at qualifying. “I think Chelsea has a great prospect for qualification. She is a recent qualifier for the Pan American Games, and the next step is the Olympic Games. Some of the players that she defeated to gain qualification to the Pan Am games will be there, and we’re hoping that her experience from in Portugal, playing professionally, would help her,” Munroe had said.

However, on Tuesday evening, Edghill barely missed the mark in a thrilling 7-set game against Mexico’s Monica Munoz. Munoz took the first two sets 11-5, 118, but Edghill rebounded to command the next two sets 11-9, 11-4. Munoz and Edghill then won one set each respectively 11-6, 8-11. It all came down to the final set, in which Edghill battled relentlessly but lost 9-11.
Natalie Cummings’s fortunes were similar to her teammates’; she lost 4-0 to Guatemala’s Lucia Cordero. Their sets went 11-9, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8.
Chelsea Edghill and Shemar Britton will, however, join forces on Saturday, April 17, to take on Ecuador’s Alberto Mino and Nathaly Paredes in the mixed doubles division.
The Latin American Qualification offered four Olympic spots in the men’s singles in a field of 24 competitors, while there were 3 spots on offer for the ladies, who had 21 players competing. One Olympic spot is still up for grabs in the mixed doubles arena, which will see participation from 13 pairs.