Saint Lucia’s rising table tennis talent, Manie Eleuthere, endured a challenging week at the World Table Tennis Youth Contender Series in Caracas, Venezuela, securing just one victory.
The Ciceron Secondary School champion suffered four individual losses across the Under-17 and Under-19 boys’ divisions while also competing in mixed doubles at the Popper and Lopez Sports Centre.
In the U17 category, Eleuthere faced stiff competition from top regional and international players. He fell 3-1 to India’s Bhaskar Sugra (4-11, 11-8, 8-11, 6-11) and narrowly lost 3-2 to Venezuela’s Moises Martinez (11-9, 8-11, 11-3, 9-11, 12-10) after pushing the match to deuce.
However, he ended on a high note with a 3-1 win over Venezuela’s Aram Perez (11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8), finishing third in Group 8 and missing the main draw.
The U19 division proved equally demanding. Eleuthere was defeated 3-1 by Colombia’s Daniel Cruz (11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6) and narrowly lost 3-2 to Venezuela’s Mateo Capella (9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8) despite leading 5-2 at one stage. He placed third in Group 6.
Despite the setbacks, Eleuthere showed promise, with lapses in concentration possibly costing him key matches.
His mixed doubles campaign with Antigua & Barbuda’s Stuti Kashyap saw them reach the quarterfinals after a dominant 3-0 win over Venezuela’s Gabriel Gonzalez and Zurisadai Espinoza (11-3, 11-8, 11-6). However, they were eliminated by Venezuela’s Jesus Tovar and Dakota Ferrer in straight sets (11-7, 11-9, 11-8).
