KUCHING: The Kuching Division Table Tennis Association (KDTTA) is on the verge of landing their 14th straight overall championship title at the 54th Sarawak Open Table Tennis in Sarikei.
After capturing six of the team events and the men’s doubles at Sarikei’s SMK
Tinggi school hall on Thursday, the defending champion needs only three or four more gold medals to be crowned as the overall champions again this year.
“So far, we have done well in the team competitions and hopefully, we can win three to four more golds in today’s individual finals,” team manager Helena Christine Wee told thesundaypost in a telephone interview from Sarikei on Saturday.
“We ‘lost’ two sure medals in the Non-Chinese team and Non-Chinese singles as Matthew Aloysious is not taking part this year and yesterday we also lost the Boys U10 singles title,” she added.
The main threat to Kuching’s title defence is from Sibu Division Table Tennis Association whose team have so far won four titles in the Veteran men’s team, Veteran women’s team, women’s doubles, Girls U15 singles and barring any upset, the Men’s 55 years and above is for Ling Kah Nge to take. Thus far, Bintulu have bagged two golds in the Non-Chinese Team and Girls U10 singles while Miri and Samarahan have one gold each from the Boys U15 singles and the Boys U10 singles.
Categories competed at the state meet are team events are Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Men’s Veteran, Non-Chinese, Boys U18, Girls U18, Boys U13 and Girls U13 while the doubles events are Men’s Open doubles and Women’s Open doubles.
Individual events to be competed are Men’s/Women’s Open, Boys/Girls U18, Boys/Girls U15, Boys/Girls U13, Boys/Girls U10, Men’s Veteran 45-54 years old, Men’s Veteran 55 years and above, Women’s Veteran 40 and above and Non-Chinese.
For the record, Kuching won the championship last year with 14 gold, eight silver and 15 bronze medals.