New badminton champs crowned

RAHUL Rampersad, Justin Sui and Vikie Singh emerged the new Solo Junior champions when the Trinidad and Tobago Badminton Association Annual Junior Championships ended at the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena on Sunday.

After two days of torrid action from the nation’s most talented and enthusiastic racquet wielders over the weekend, Rampersad and his Presentation College (Chaguanas) schoolmate Justin Sui stole the spotlight with triple crowns. The lanky Rampersad, a fifth form student who is currently preparing for the regional CXC examinations, showed his class and stamina by winning the Under-19 Boys singles and doubles titles and the mixed doubles crown. Sui did a similar trick in the Under-17 category, but was forced out of the grand finale in the Under-19 match-up with Rampersad because of cramps sustained during the final set of a three-set showdown when the set scores were even.

Vikie Singh of Gasparillo Composite and the St Margaret’s Badminton Club, confirmed her status as a bright prospect by capturing the Girls Under-19 and Under-17 individual singles crowns. The 15-year-old student, competing in the higher divisions for the first time, showed remarkable court-craft and tactical acumen as she disposed of the highly-favoured Kelly-Ann Sampson in a fiercely-contested Under-19 final.

Singh won the first set at 11-9 but Sampson fought back courageously to grab the second at 8-11. And the third set proved equally exciting and taxing, but Vickie triumphed at 11-9.
She was also extended in the Under-17 final by a determined Neikesha Blake who took the second set at 3-11 after the newly-crowned champion took the first at 11-3. Singh won the third at 11-7 and seems destined for an exciting badminton career. Rampersad made the ultimate sacrifice to combine studies with his badminton career and gained immense pleasure in achieving his life long goal — securing a triple crown tandem at 15-11, 15-17 and 15-7.

TTBA Solo National Junior Champonships Honour Roll:

UNDER 19 CATEGORY
Boys Singles Champion: RAHUL RAMPERSAD.
Boys Doubles Champions: RAHUL RAMPERSAD and KERRON GARCIA.
Mixed Doubles Champions: RAHUL RAMPERSAD and NEIKESHA BLAKE.
Girls Singles Champion: VIKIE SINGH.
Girls Doubles Champion: KELLY-ANN SAMPSON and KIMBERLEY CLARKE.

UNDER 17 CATEGORY
Boys Singles Champion: JUSTIN SUI.
Boys Doubles Champion: JUSTIN SUI and EARNESTO DEAN.
Mixed Doubles Champion: JUSTIN SUI and KERRY-ANN QUAN CHEE.
Girls Singles Champion: VIKIE SINGH.
Girls Doubles Champion: NEIKSHA BLAKE and S. JAMES.

UNDER 15 CATEGORY
Boys Singles Champion: MITRA RAMCHARRAN.
Girls Singles Champion: CINDY ANN BALLANTYNE.
Boys Doubles Champion: ANIL BHAGWANDEEN and INSAF HOSEIN.