Kenyan table tennis star hogs limelight
Lekopanye Mooketsi | Tuesday May 20, 2014 15:55
Mturi showed locals what his team has in store as he demolished all his opponents in the competition. He met one of the top local players, Tshepho Modisathebe in the final and triumphed 2-1. For his efforts, Mturi received P1,500 in prize money. He took on the highly ranked Bonolo Mabote in a bonus match, but still humiliated the local lad 3-2. Mturi’s coach and manager of the Kenyan table tennis team to the AYG, Mariga Muangi said his charges mean business. “We take these games very seriously. Our government has pumped a lot of money so it is pay back time for us,” he said. “We are going for medals definitely. After the demonstration here, we have high hopes for medals. We have come here for a medal haul in all the codes that we will be competing in. We are ready for the games,” he said. He hailed the facilities at the Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC) Hall where AYG table tennis games will be hosted saying they are world class.
He was also impressed with the performance of the local players at the tournament and said that with exposure and good training, Botswana players are capable of doing well. The coordinator of the tournament, Kudzani Motswagole said it was meant to be a dress rehearsal for the AYG table tennis games. He said in this regard, it was a success even though the Botswana table tennis team did not participate in the tournament. He said the team was unable to participate due to other scheduled events over the weekend. The coach of Botswana’s team to the Youth Games, Godirleone Bagwasi cautioned against too much expectation.
“We shouldn’t put too much pressure on them (players). They are our future players. Batswana should accept whatever the results,” he said.