Edghill’s training in California going well, TT star set to arrive in Tokyo on July 18

Jul 09, 2021 Sports

By Sean Devers

Kaieteur News – Twenty-three-year old former Caribbean U-21 Table Tennis Champion and Pan-Am Games Qualifier Chelsea Edghill is one of seven Guyanese set to represent the Golden Arrowhead at the Tokyo Olympics which is scheduled to run from July 23 to August 8.

Chelsea Edghill in California

The others are Aleka Persaud and Andrew Fowler (swimming), Emanuel Archibald, sisters Jasmine and Aliyah Abrams (Track and Field} and Keevin Allicock (Boxing). Edghill, Guyana’s highest-ranked female player reached the quarterfinals of the Olympic qualifiers in Argentina and was granted a ‘Wild Card’ to participate in the Olympics.
“I’m training in California at the ICC and I’ll be here just until I leave for Tokyo. I am supposed to arrive in Tokyo on July 18, 2021” informed the four times NSC’s Junior Sports Woman of the year.
The talented lass who was born in Brooklyn New York on July 6, 1997 to Godfrey Edghill and Deirdre Baynes-Edghill, spoke about her training in California where it is three hours behind Guyana.
“I am currently engaging in high level sparring and just working on some key areas of my game” explained the 2018 NSC senior sportswoman of the year. Her first Caribbean Table Tennis Cadets Championship was in Trinidad where she won Silver U-11 Team and another Silver U-11 in the Doubles and since then she had not looked back; now becoming Guyana’s first ever Table Tennis player to compete at the Summer Olympics since it was first held in 1896 in Athens, Greece.
Edghill is the 2018 Caribbean Women U-21 champion, Caribbean Women’s Doubles champion, Caribbean Women’s bronze medallist 2019, several collegiate tournaments wins, Caribbean Cadet and Junior champion, Caribbean Women’s team silver medallist 2018 and 2019.
Edghill took a six-month break from Table Tennis to study for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination before being awarded a partial scholarship to attend Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri.
The five-year scholarship allowed her to train, play and participate in high-level competitions against top level players on a consistent basis in view of achieving Olympic qualification. She Graduated with a BS in Chemistry from the Lindenwood University.
Edghill, who trains twice daily explained that she is satisfied with her living conditions in California. “The accommodations and meals are good. I’m staying at a hotel and I’m pretty satisfied with it” informed Edgill, who plays locally at the Malteenoes Sports Club.
Edghill played her first match in July 2006 after the “Teach them young” programme.
“It was at that programme that I learned to play Table Tennis under the tutelage of Coach Linden Johnson” remembered Edghill, who is now about to venture on the World’s biggest stage for Amateur sports.
The newly appointed Smalta Brand Ambassador informed that long-time Malteenoes member Idi Lewis is her Coach and he will be going with her to Japan.