Table Tennis: African Tennis Championship-Four on African mission |12 November 2004

Janice Esparon, Vincent Isaac and Godfrey Sultan, who have all participated in past editions of the championship will again defend Seychelles' colours in the individual and team events of both the junior (under 20) and senior (over 20) divisions.

As for Archille Dodin, he is the only player of the four who is making his debut at the  competition.

The four Seychellois players, who are eyeing to better past performances are to be accompanied by Seychellois coach Peter Youpa and Francis Remie who will head the delegation.

In 2002 Seychelles was represented at the competition by Rachid Rosalie, Godfrey Sultan and Jude Marie and they were accompanied by the then national team coach
Swedish Roger Lagerfeldt.

After walking over the Ghanaians in their first match of the team event, the boys of trainer Lagerfeldt fell 2-3 to Congo, 0-3 to Angola and 1-3 to both Ivory Coast and Benin to finish 12th out of 14 countries.

In the senior boys' singles competition, Jude Marie lost 1-4 against Atefara of Eritrea.

Rachid Rosalie, a former table tennis player of the year award recipient beat Gaspar Georges of Angola on a tight 4-3 score before losing his second round match 0-4 to Tunisian Drihi Hassen.

Godfrey Sultan who is the country's number one male player at the moment also managed to reach the second round of the competition after eliminating Abouchaouachi of Libya 4-1 in his first match. But like Rosalie, Sultan was unable to continue in the same vein as he lost his second match 1-4 to Moroccan Kamel Boudrimil.

In the doubles competition, the pair of Jude Marie and Godfrey Sultan lost 0-3 in the first round against an Egyptian duo.
 
C. J.