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Kaieteur News’ Mike Baptist honoured at GOA Awards Ceremony
Kaieteur News’ Mike Baptist was honoured Saturday night when he received
Consular Officer at the Chinese Embassy in Guyana, Yuyin Liu (left) hands over the Award to Mike Baptist Saturday night.
an Award for his ‘Contribution to the Development of Sport’ (Table Tennis) at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Appreciation and Awards Ceremony at Georgetown Club.
The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) recommended Baptiste for the Award. Below is the excerpt from Baptiste presentation:
Mike’s auspicious tenure in the sporting arena has allowed him to gain much recognition here in Guyana and the region, particularly during the golden years of local table tennis, the mid 60s through the mid 70s.
It all started back in the 60s (1964) when he made his official debut at a Caribbean Championship, which were held at Queen’s College. Mike eventually made the national team in 1965 and represented Guyana continuously until 1974.
The Aries-born Baptiste spent the early days of his life at a 175 Charlotte Street, Georgetown, home. He attended the Bourda Roman Catholic School then Central High School and eventually Saint Stanislaus College.
He was nicknamed ‘Bouncing Baptiste’ and claimed the recognition and admiration of any sportsman worth his salt. He won his first national title in 1967 and was the winner of five (5) national championships, triumphing over table tennis stars, the likes of Morris Moore and Garth Isaacs.
He was a Caribbean Mixed Doubles Champion in 1968, when he teamed with Denise Osman and won the Caribbean Mixed Doubles event, competing against compatriots George Braithwaithe and Barbara Jekir.
In 1974, in what he always describes as one of his most memorable performances, the finals of the Caribbean men’s team competition: Guyana versus Trinidad and Tobago at Queens College auditorium. With the teams levelled at 4-4, Baptiste played against one of the Caribbean ‘greats’: the vaunted Mansingh Amarsingh defeating him in straights sets affording Guyana a 5-4 win and the Caribbean Men’s Team Title; incidentally, that was the last time Guyana won that crown.
He served and was appointed as National Coach by the National Sports Council then, which came under the Sports Ministry; there he enjoyed an extensive coaching career which spanned 1974 to 1994 where he helped to propel several outstanding players to reach their greatest potential; the likes of Christopher Chung-Wee, Doreen Chow-Wah, Denise Osman, Matthew Khan and Michelle John among others who like him, repeatedly did Guyana proud.
In addition, Mike contributed significantly to sports in the field of journalism in a career that spanned from 1973 to present functioning in the capacity as a proof reader, Sports Journalists, Sports Editor, Columnist and Author of the book ‘Gallery of the Greats’. He has worked at the Guyana Chronicle and currently the Kaieteur Newspaper.
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