Namibia’s youth paddlers make strides in Gaborone

Table tennis
Leading the country’s medal haul was 15-year-old Kamrouz Ghayouri, who claimed bronze medals in the U15 and U17 boys’ singles.
Mariud Ngula
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Namibia’s nine-member youth table tennis team returned from the World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Contender in Gaborone, Botswana, with three medals and several quarter-final finishes across the singles and mixed doubles competitions.

The four-day tournament, held from Wednesday to Saturday, saw the Namibians compete against international opposition across different age categories, with four players making their international debuts.

Leading the country’s medal haul was 15-year-old Kamrouz Ghayouri, who claimed bronze medals in the U15 and U17 boys’ singles, alongside a silver medal in the U15 mixed doubles with Nigerian partner Chinenye Okafor.

The Namibia Table Tennis Association (NTTA) hailed his achievement as a national first.

“This is the first time in Namibian history that a 15-year-old has brought home three medals from the WTT Youth event,” the association said on its social media.


Quarter-final runs

Beyond Ghayouri’s podium finishes, four other Namibians reached the singles quarter-finals, including 12-year-old international debutant Terence Kadandara and Agape Chicalu in the U15 boys’ section.

Kadandara’s run ended against eventual champion Joseph Sebatindira of Uganda, who defeated him 3-0 (11-3, 11-3, 11-3).

Chicalu, meanwhile, took the opening game 12-10 against South Africa’s Rupert Bester before losing the next three to bow out 3-1 (10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 11-5).

In the U17 girls’ singles, Lian Gebauer reached the last eight before falling 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-7) to eventual gold-medallist Leeloo Vukelja of Croatia.

Caden Bosman also made the quarter-finals in the U19 boys’ singles, where Zambia’s Felix Kasongo defeated him 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-3).

Bosman and Cadence Farmer joined forces in the U19 mixed doubles, advancing to the quarter-finals before losing 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-9) to South Africa’s Ruan Scholtz and Karen Pillay.

Farmer narrowly missed out on advancing from Group Four of the U15 girls' singles after finishing third, despite recording a 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-9) victory over Zambia’s Mercy Zimba.

She also pushed South Africa’s Refilwe Phoofolo to five games before going down 3-2 (11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6).


International debuts

Among the other debutants, Daniel Beukes reached the round of 16 in the U15 boys’ singles before losing 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-5) to compatriot Chicalu.

Kataliya Henckert and Jason Kadandara did not advance beyond the group stage of the U15 girls’ and boys’ singles, respectively.

Jason, however, also partnered Nigeria’s Elizabeth Emelike to reach the U15 mixed doubles quarter-finals, where they lost 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 12-10) to South Africa’s Bester and Phoofolo.

Reflecting on the team’s overall performance, the NTTA expressed satisfaction with the experience gained by its young players.

“Our team has learned so much from this experience. Well done to every one of our players. Thank you to everyone who has supported the team this week,” the association said.

The tournament formed part of Namibia’s preparations for the upcoming African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region Five Youth Games in Maputo, Mozambique, in December.

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