T&T's Arun Roopnarine secured his third medal when he came within one win of playing for gold in the Under-13 boys' singles competition at the fifth Pre-Cadet and Cadet Caribbean Region Table Tennis Federation Championships. This was on the final day of competition at the University of Utuado, Puerto Rico, yesterday. Roopnarine, who on Tuesday led the local boys team, which also included Aaron Wilson, Sarvesh Mungal and, his brother, Amresh Mungal, to the silver medal behind Puerto Rico was beaten by Puerto Rican, Brian Afanador 11-4, 11-7, 11-9 in his semifinal.
Earlier on, Roopnarine, who got a round-of-32 bye, battled past Dominican Republic's Jefferson Almanzar 11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10 in his last-16 clash before beating fellow T&T player Aaron Wilson 11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 in the quarterfinals. The bronze medal carried Roopnarine's haul to three medals–two bronze and a silver–after he paired with Wilson in a 7-11, 7-11, 14-16 defeat at the hands of Afanador and Yomar Gonzalez in their age-group doubles final.
Wilson, who was also on a round-of-32 singles bye, defeated Jamaica's Derek Walcott 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 in his last-16 match. Amresh Mungal, the other local to reach the main draw, was ousted by Georges Perez of Puerto Rico 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 in the last 16.
However, the local Under-13 girls' trio of Adefa James, Monique Cooper and Brittany Joseph, winners of the team bronze medal on Tuesday, all bowed out at the round-of-16 yesterday.
Puerto Rico's Desiree Ortiz, defeated a battling James 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 6-11, 11-9; another Puerto Rican, Anabel Polanco, dumped Cooper, 11-8, 11-5, 11-0 and Dominican Republic's Ancelys Pichardo got past Joseph 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-3 to reach the quarterfinals. In the Under-10 boys' competition, T&T's Travis Pantin swept past Puerto Rico's Christian Negron 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 in the round-of-16 before he went under to Dominican Republic's Oliver Nunez 7-11, 10-12, 8-12 in the quarterfinals. On Wednesday, Pantin combined with Tianna Assoon for a mixed doubles bronze medal after losing to Nunez and Kircia Diaz 6-11, 5-11, 8-11 in their semis.