Badminton juniors earn bronze

Trinidad and Tobago’s junior badminton champions have returned from South America with bronze medals earned at the Peru Open Junior Championships.

The team was led by triple-crown champions Rahul Rampersad (Under-19) and Justin Siu (Under-17). Both collected bronze medals in doubles play, which featured top juniors from Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and hosts Peru. According to team manager/coach Zeudi Mack, Rampersad was the most outstanding Trinidadian as he combined with Guatemalan G Garcia to overpower the Dominican Republic’s Javier and Pea in the quarter-finals. They won 15-10, 15-10.

But they succumbed to the Guatemalans Danny Lopez and Cordon who were the second  seeds. Rampersad/Garcia lost a fiercely contested two-setter at 12-15,12-15.

“Rampersad was without doubt the most outstanding TT player in the tournament.  He showed good form in the singles but lost his match to Peru’s A Chueca who teamed up with Belindo to take the Boys Under-19 doubles title. Rahul lost 8-15, 11-15 and the major difference was that the Peruvian was able to sustain the rallies much longer and scored important points that way,” Mack said.

The Central Smashers and Presentation College player also teamed up with C De La Flor of Peru in the mixed doubles competition.

Together they defeated Javier and F de Oleo of the Republic of Dominica 15-13, 15-3 in their quarter-finals but lost in the “semis” to top pair Lopez and Jimeno 15-6, 15-6.

Siu and his Cri-Stars Badminton Club partner Earnesto Dean gained a free draw in the Boys Under-17 semi-finals round. But they lost 0-15, 8-15 to Peru’s DeVinata and DeValle (the number one seeds).

Siu lost his singles match to Guatemala’s number one David Lopez 15-5 and 15-6 while Dean bowed to DeVinata 4-15 and 6-15.

Under-15 champion Mitra Ramcharran put up strong resistance but lost his singles to Peru’s D Vasquez 9-15, 7-15 while doubles partner Insaf Hosein was beaten by Peru’s V de La Flor 15-4, 15-2.

In the doubles competition, they gained a free draw into the “semis” and were up against Peru’s dominant tandem of Sebastian Salazar and Rivero. They  had to settle for the bronze medal after losing 5-15, 3-15.

On the distaff side, Peru’s D Cuba and Blanco in their semi-final encounters outclassed double-crown champion Vikie Singh and her partner Nichesha Blake. The Peruvians won easily 15-0, 15-1.  Singh also lost her singles match 0-11, 1-11 to Cuba while Blake suffered similar fate going down to DeSlava 4-11, 3-11.

In the mixed doubles quarter-finals; the Dean/Vikie Singh tandem lost to Peru’s DelValle/Calderon pair 1-15, 1-15 while Siu and Blake were no match for Lopez (Guatemala) and Blanco (Peru) pair giving up at 3-15, 5-15.