Region 5 Table Tennis Championship a massive success

The Namibian Table Tennis Association (NTTA) successfully hosted the AUSC Region

5 Table Tennis Championships in Swakopmund from 9 to 12 December.

The prestigious event, which was proudly sponsored by Bank Windhoek and Swakopmund

Indoor Sports Centre saw seven teams and 60 players from Namibia, Angola, Botswana,

Malawi, South Africa and Zambia competing in seven categories. The competition

took place at the Swakopmund Indoor Sport Centre (SISC), better known as “The

Dome” in Swakopmund. Team Namibia, which consisted out of a total of 24 players, achieved its goal when Namibia A earned fourth place overall in both the Men’s and Ladies team event which earned them a bronze medal respectively. Namibia, as hosts, could enter two teams into the Teams Event and competed against five other Southern African

Countries, which included Angola, Botswana, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia.

Namibia B finished fifth in both categories. The future of Namibian Table Tennis looks very bright considering that the Namibian B team consisting of Darren Strauss, Dietrich Mowes, PW Steenkamp, Ronaldo Vogel and Yannick Bohn, with an average age of 16, just narrowly lost to the far more experienced A teammates. The young Namibian Ladies team, with an average age of 15 years, not only performed well against their older, more experienced counterparts, but also registered the most wins of all Namibian teams.

The Championship where dominated by South Africa and Angola. South Africa won

gold in the Men’s Team event and silver in the Ladies Team event whilst Angola won

gold in the Ladies team events and silver in the Men’s team event. Botswana took third position in both the Men’s and Women’s team events with Namibia in fourth position in both.

South Africa and Angola’s class was further underlined when they continued their

dominance in the remaining five categories; Mixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Ladies

Doubles, Men’s Singles and Ladies Singles. South Africa took gold and bronze in the

mixed doubles with Angola silver and bronze. In the Ladies doubles it was Angola that

scooped the gold medal before the South African pair and Malawi took the bronze in third position. Angola also showed their class in the Men’s doubles as here they also took

gold and bronze in the Men’s Doubles with RSA silver and bronze.

South Africa came back strongly in the Ladies and Men’s singles as they had three players

in both the ladies and men’s singles semi-finals with an all-South African affair in the

men’s final with Terence Mathole (RSA) and Kurt Lingeveldt (RSA) fighting it out

for the gold. In the Ladies singles the young Isabela Albino of Angola took the gold

away from the South African trio of Zodwa Maphanga, Danisha Patel and Khanyisile

Madlala who took Silver and 2 x bronze respectively.

Detailed results: Men’s team (Points Position) – 106 SOUTH AFRICA 12 1, 101 ANGOLA 11 2, 102 BOTSWANA 9 3, 104 NAMIBIA 8 4, 105 NAMIBIA ‘B’ 7 5, 103 MALAWI 4 6, 107 ZAMBIA 3 7, Women’s team (Points Position) – 201 ANGOLA 12 1, 206 SOUTH AFRICA 11 2, 202 BOTSWANA 10 3, 204 NAMIBIA 8 4, 205 NAMIBIA ‘B’ 7 5, 203 MALAWI 4 6, 207 ZAMBIA 2 7, Mixed Doubles – Gold: LINGEVELDT Kurt & MAPHANGA Zodwa (RSA), Silver: NETO Mayone Costa Leite & BORGES Jerusa Malundo, Bronze: LINGEVELDT Keegan & PATEL Danisha (RSA), Bronze: NETO Edvanio Regada & TAVARES Ruth da Conceição de Sousa (ANG), Ladies Doubles –

Gold: ALBINO Isabel de Oliveira & TAVARES Ruth da Conceição de Sousa (ANG)

Silver: MADLALA Khanyisile & MAPHANGA Zodwa (RSA), Bronze: MWANYALI Beatrice & MWENEBUNGU Chrissy (MAW), Bronze: LINGEVELDT Caitlin & PATEL Danisha (RSA), Men’s Doubles – Gold: ANDRE Elizandro & ANTONIO Alessio (ANG)

Silver: LINGEVELDT Kurt & WAGNER Ashlyn (RSA), Bronze: NETO Edvanio Regada & NETO Paixão da Silva (ANG), Bronze: LINGEVELDT Keegan & MATHOLE Terrence (RSA), Ladies Singles – Gold: ALBINO Isabel de Oliveira (ANG), Silver: MAPHANGA Zodwa (RSA), Bronze: MADLALA Khanyisile (RSA), Bronze: PATEL Danisha (RSA), Men’s Singles – Gold: LINGEVELDT Kurt (RSA), Silver: MATHOLE Terrence (RSA), Bronze: LINGEVELDT Keegan (RSA), Bronze: ANDRE Elizandro (ANG)