Benstrong and Dubel in China on five-year scholarships |01 September 2009

Table tennis player Benstrong and badminton player Dubel are in China on five-year scholarships and will study and train at the Physical Education College of Shanghai University, one of China’s leading research universities.

Shanghai University was established in 1922 and rebuilt in 1994. Its motto is self-strengthening with persistence. It has 2,500 faculties scattered around an urban campus of 555 acres (2.2 sq km).

The two athletes were chosen for the scholarships because of their devotion and love for their sports.

Benstrong and Dubel should be able to represent Seychelles in international events like the Indian Ocean Islands Games here in 2011.

After their training and studies, Benstrong and Joel will be employed as coaches by the National Sports Council.

Women’s number one Benstrong won the singles gold medal in the individual competition of the first Zone 7 junior tournament in Mauritius in August.

With Laura Sinon as her partner, she won the women’s team competition silver medal and took a bronze in the mixed doubles alongside Anil Nibourette.

She also competed in the Mauritius International competition and won the silver medal after losing the final to Wydaad Guhkool.

In the individual competition of the second Zone 7 tournament in Reunion last year, she retained the singles gold medal and teamed up with Godfrey Sultan to win the mixed doubles gold medal.

During last year’s Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien (CJSOI) Games, which Seychelles hosted, Benstrong – who also competed in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India, reaching the knockout stage – won the women’s singles gold medal and a bronze in the girls’ team event.

Dubel is a two-time defending young male athlete of the year and was the toast of the Seychelles team during the CJSOI Games, winning three gold medals in the team event, mixed doubles and men’s doubles. He was the men’s singles silver medallist.

At the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, he lost in the second round of the men’s singles. A 2-1 winner against Ben Li of the Isle of Man in the preliminary stage, Dubel fell 0-2 (4-21, 2-21) to Gura Sai Dutt from hosts India in the second round.

G. G.