Southern Hemisphere Visitor Make Fine Start in Quest for More Gold
1st Morocco Para TT Open
Courtesy of ITTF
Success earlier the tournament for South America in the guise of Brazil’s Welder Knaf and Venezuela’s Edson Joel Gomez Sanchez; that success continued on Tuesday October 6th at the 1st Morocco Para Open in Agadir.
One day earlier Welder Knaf had won Men’s Singles Class 1-3, Edson Joel Gomez Sanchez had secured the top prize in Men’s Singles Class 4-5; on the first day of the Men’s Team event, the top seeds, they remained unbeaten.
Similarly, next in the order of merit, the Nigerian duo formed by Ahmed Owolabi Koleosho and Emmanuel Chinedu Nick also completed the day unbeaten.
Comprehensive Win
On their one visit to the table Welder Knaf and Edson Joel Gomez Sanchez beat Morocco’s Jalal Essabri and El Bachir El QuardI by two matches to nil.
“My aim is to win a second gold medal in this tournament”, said Welder Knaf. “It’s a great feeling when you have a mission, you do well and you succeed.”
Place Reserved
The next goal is the Rio 2015 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; at the recent Para Pan American Games, Edson Joel Gomez Sanchez booked his place.
“My country gave me all the support I need; that is reflected in the fact that I am the Pan American champion in Class 4 and I have qualified for the Paralympic Games in Rio.”
Busy Schedule
However, Edson Joel Gomez Sanchez is not resting on his laurels; he has a busy schedule ahead.
“I still have tournaments in Argentina, Jordan, Belgium and Costa Rica which I hope to do well on them all”, he added.
The Al-Watani Para Championships take place in Jordan’s capital city of Amman in October; in November Sint-Niklaas hosts the Belgium tournament with Buenos Aires welcoming players for the Copa Tango.
Proceedings concluded in Argentina; the Copa Costa Rica will be staged in San José in December.
Practice
“I practice eight hours per day, four in the morning and four in the evening”, concluded Edson Joel Gomez Sanchez who most certainly has eyes on success in Rio de Janeiro next year.
Similarly, Nigeria’s Ahmed Owolabi Koleosho and Emmanuel Chinedu Nick, the second seeds, posted the same margin of victory in opposition to Kuwait’s Yaqoub Alqasem and Sierra Leone’s George Wyndham, before recording the same margin of victory when facing the host nation’s Adbelah Baidak and Abdeslam Oudrhiri.
Play at 1st Morocco Para Open concludes on Wednesday October 7th and is followed immediately by the ITTF-Africa Para Championships.
1st Morocco Open Results: Full Results and Group Staged Positions
