India's national table tennis selector-cum-coach, Kamlesh Mehta said the win at the 12th South Asian Federation (SAF) Junior table tennis championships in Shillong yesterday will boost the confidence of the young paddlers ahead of the Asian Junior Championships (July 11-16) in Jiangyin, China
India’s junior boys defeated Nepal 3-0 in the final to emerge champions, while the girls lifted the crown after topping the group. Barring the junior boys, the winners in other categories were determined by their league standings.
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“The one good thing about the youngsters is that they were focused. The SAF win will keep them in good stead for the Asian championship,” Mehta told MiD DAY from Shillong.
Arjuna awardee, Mehta credited the results to the two conditioning camps held prior to the tournament. “India have always dominated in SAF. But the two camps in Indore and Shillong, where they worked on their technical aspects, have played a vital role in their success,” said Mehta.
Results — Junior boys’ (Final): India 3 bt Nepal 0 (Abhishek Yadav bt Bilas Shrestha 11-5, 12-10, 11-3; Sudhanshu Grover bt Mani Lama 11-2, 11-6, 11-6; Vivek Bhargava bt Anish Shrestha 11-6, 11-4, 11-9); Final team standings — Cadet Boys’: 1. India (8 points), 2. Sri Lanka (7), 3. Bangladesh (6);
Junior Girls’: 1. India (8), 2. Sri Lanka (7), 3. Nepal (5); Cadet Girls: 1. India (4), 2. Sri Lanka (3), 3. Nepal (2).u00a0