Preparations for the Island Games later this year are well under way for Cayman’s table tennis players and, according to coach Donovan Nelson, several of the athletes could bring home silverware.
Training three-to-four days a week, the athletes’ hard work was put to the test at a friendly competition held Saturday, 22 April, at the hall at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre.
“So far, the training has been going well,” Nelson told the Compass. “We are just basically…improving all the things that we’ve been doing all these many years.”
The 19th edition of the Island Games will take place in Guernsey from 8-14 July. The last time Cayman table tennis players took part in an international competition was at the 2019 Islands Games, where the team failed to make the podium.
However, Nelson believes that this year, with a couple of key players geared up for the games, Cayman could bring home a medal or two.
“Our male team looks very impressive in comparison to the other years,” he said, adding, “We have one very strong female player, Jordanna [Liu]… she’s one of the players who competes very well, even against the males.
“I’m looking forward very much to Jordanna… she has a strong possibility of medalling. These games, it’s a lot of pressure. You find that a lot of these guys play very well amongst each other,” Nelson said, noting that when it’s time for the big stage, the pressure has an impact on many of his athletes.
While not official, the Cayman Islands Table Tennis Association has identified seven players – four males and three females – who will represent Cayman at the games in Guernsey.
Growing youth table tennis
Nelson added that once the Island Games finish, he is hoping to rebuild the youth programme in Cayman.
“The youth programme needs a lot of work,” Nelson told the Compass.
He acknowledged that the association has struggled over the years with some of their elite players, who weren’t Caymanian, being rolled over and having to leave, as well as their training and competition being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, it is also difficult to motivate young people to stay with table tennis, which is an Olympic sport, he added.
“We have a couple of promising youths here,” he said. “I have a programme, where I meet with these youth and that is open to all the children who want to improve in the game.”
According to Nelson, the association plans to host the Cayman Islands Table Tennis National Championships after the Island Games.
“We’re going to need sponsorship from different organisations,” he said. “We are looking at going full force at this right after the games.”
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