Kane Watson and Keeara Whyte were crowned champions of the 2024 Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) National Senior and Junior Championships, held at the National Indoor Sports Center in Kingston from September 6-8, with Watson marking a triumphant return to claim his sixth national title.
After coming out of retirement, Watson dominated the early stages, winning the first three sets 11-7, 11-3, and 11-8 in a seven-set thriller against defending champions Mark Phillips. However, the loser mounted a strong comeback, taking the next three sets 11-6, 11-5, and 11-9, forcing a decisive seventh set. In a tense finale, Watson held his composure to win the final set 11-9, sealing his remarkable victory.
In the women’s singles final, Whyte dethroned reigning champion Tsenaye Lewis with an emphatic 4-0, straight-sets victory. Whyte cruised through the first set 11-4, but faced strong resistance in the second and third sets, both of which she narrowly won 11-9. The fourth set saw Lewis fight valiantly to extend the match, but Whyte ultimately prevailed 12-10 to capture the championship.
Doubles competition
In the doubles competition, Watson teamed up with semi-finalist Paulton Madden to claim the men’s doubles title, while sisters Tsenaye and Gianna Lewis clinched the women’s doubles crown.
The junior competitions saw the rise of several young stars, with the following players taking home age-group titles: Kaylor Dyer in the U-9 and U-11 girls; Shacoil Bird in U-9 boys; Malone Bird in the U-11 boys; Kira Scott in the U-13 and U-15 girls; Ajani Spencer in the U-13 boys; Gmarco Smith in the U-15 boys; Keeara Whyte in the U-19 girls, and Azizi Johnson in the U-19 boys.
In the veterans’ division, Andrea Wadsworth claimed the women’s Over-40 singles title, while Phillip Drummond took the men’s Over-40 crown.
The team events saw Kingston emerge as the top women’s parish team, while St. Andrew secured the men’s parish title, rounding off an exciting weekend of table tennis action.
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