Latest update March 23rd, 2025 5:37 AM
Latest News
- Govt., and Opposition MPs a no-show at Exxon’s public meetings on 8th project
- Over 200 affected after fire destroys section of Critchlow Labour College
- Palestinians – people or pests to be eradicated
- IMF report – cup half full, or a cup of Novocain
- $43M mammogram machine commissioned at Suddie Hospital
Edghill and Noel first Guyanese athletes in action in Paris
Chelsea Edghill (right) and her coach Idi Lewis at the Paris Olympics.
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur Sports – Table tennis stalwart Chelsea Edghill and swimmer Raekwon Noel will be the first Guyanese athletes in action at the Paris Olympics, competing in today’s preliminary round of the women’s singles at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.
Edghill, who served as a flagbearer at yesterday’s opening ceremony alongside sprinter Emanuel Archibald, will face Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou at 9:00 am.
Edghill’s opponent is competing in her third Olympic Games, having first represented Cameroon at the London Games in 2012 and then at the Tokyo Olympics.
A win for either player will advance them to the Round of 64, where they will face the World No. 13 ranked Cheng I-Ching.
Edghill also carried the flag at the opening ceremony for the last Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She is the only player, male or female, from the English-speaking Caribbean competing in table tennis at the Paris Games.
In Japan, she became the first female player from the English-speaking Caribbean to feature at the Olympics since Table Tennis was added to the games in 1988 (Seoul Games).
Edghill will begin her competition tomorrow (Saturday) in the preliminary round of the women’s singles against
At the Tokyo Olympics, Edghill became the first Guyanese and the only female player from the English-speaking region to qualify for the Olympics since table tennis was added to the list of disciplines in 1988.
Edghill had an impressive showing at the Tokyo Games, captivating Guyana and the Caribbean region when she defeated two-time Olympian Sally Yee of Fiji 4-1 (11-5, 4-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8) in a commanding debut performance in the preliminary round.
She progressed to the main draw but lost to South Korea’s Shin Yu-bin in the Women’s Singles at the Tokyo Olympic Games, with scores of 11-7, 11-8, 11-7, 12-10.
Edghill’s ‘Wild Card’ selection for the Paris Olympics came as a surprise to the country’s highest-ranked table tennis player.
The Olympics run from July 26 to August 10 and are considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many athletes, but for Edghill, this will be her second experience.
Swimmer Raekwon Noel will compete in the Men’s 400m freestyle in Paris.
Edghill narrowly missed out on qualifying during her Olympic quest in a seven-game thriller against Estella Crespo of Cuba at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Americas Pan American qualification event, held from May 14-18 in Lima, Peru.
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the ITTF offered Edghill the only female Tripartite Commission Invitation spot, making her the only player from the English-speaking Caribbean to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, in swimming, Noel will make his Olympic debut at 5:00 am today in the men’s 400m freestyle at the Paris La Défense Arena.
Noel has left his mark on the sport of swimming in Guyana and holds five national records, including the 400m freestyle, after clocking four minutes and 3.57 seconds (4:03.57) at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Curacao last year.
On July 30, Aleka Persaud will compete in the women’s 100m freestyle at 6:39 am. Persaud, who was the country’s youngest-ever Olympian after competing at the Tokyo Games, is Guyana’s national record holder in the women’s 100m freestyle with a time of one minute and 0.67 seconds (1:00.67), set at last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Aliyah Abrams will make her third appearance at the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) flagship event when she lines up in the women’s 400m at the Stade de France on August 5. Emanuel Archibald will compete in the men’s 100m on August 3.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
ExxonMobil dodges question on whether operations can lead to cancer, other diseases
…says taking measures to ensure safety of workers Kaieteur News- ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) has refused to vouch... more
If Guyana’s President Ali is the “Zelensky of the Caribbean”, who is the Putin?
Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS, Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- In the latest... more
Weekend Cartoon
