Two young table tennis players from Gujarat, Pratha Pawar and Khwaish Lotia, have made their state and country proud by clinching gold medals in the Under-17 and Under-13 Singles categories respectively at the World Table Tennis Youth Contender tournament held here from January 22nd to 25th, 2024.
Pratha Pawar emerged as the champion in the Under-17 Girls category, defeating Angelina Bebawy of Germany, Chole Silva of Sweden, and Hoor Fawad of Pakistan, all with a score of 3-0. In the final, she triumphed over Hend Zaza of Syria with the same score. However, in the Under-15 Girls category, she secured the runner-up position, losing against Hand Zaza of Syria with a score of 1-3. Pratha, who practices for eight hours daily at Eklavya Sports Academy under the guidance of Coach Lalan Doshi, has won seven medals in her five international tournaments.
Khwaish Lotia secured the gold medal in the Under-13 Girls category. She defeated Aldana Al-Kaabi and Fatima AL-Abdulla of Qatar, both with a score of 3-0. In the semi-final, she overcame Len Sager of Saudi Arabia with the same score, and in the finals, she defeated Kenda Mahmood of Bahrain by 3-0. Khwaish, who also practices for eight hours daily at Transstadia Academy under the guidance of Coach Bansi Lalcheta, is known for her good control over her backhand and plays with good service variation and body part coordination.
Both coaches, Lalan Doshi and Bansi Lalcheta, expressed their hope that, like Bhavina Patel, another player from their state, Pratha Pawar and Khwaish Lotia will aim to win an Olympic medal in the future and make India proud.
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