Dubai: Table tennis officials are convinced that fast-improving Abdullah Al Beloushi has the necessary talent to seal a definite individual spot in table tennis at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The 15-year-old, who represents Al Ahli Club, was this year crowned the UAE national champion for the first time, thus making him eligible to represent the hosts at the ongoing 2016 ITTF Nakheel Asian Cup that at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
Al Beloushi lost all three preliminary round matches in the Intercontinental Cup Group for men, but not before impressing one and all with his swift movements and attacking display. The UAE teenager went down 0-3 against Iran’s Nima Al Amian, India’s Soumyajit Ghosh then against Singapore’s Clarence Yu Zhe Chew on Thursday.
“It’s a big learning curve for this young player, and we wanted him to draw the benefits through the experience of playing against some of the best players in the world,” Amjad Sulaiman, Al Ahli coach, told Gulf News.
“The experience that Abdullah will gain through such a competition is priceless and we will do everything to help him continue improving in the future. From our point of view, this competition is meant to be a point of reference to see where he stands, and we are encouraged with the way he has responded and played so well here,” he added.
At 15 years, Al Beloushi is still in secondary school. But his intention for greatness is something that was evident against top players such as Ghosh, Alamian and Chew. “Seeing him play against the professionals, we are planning a sports career path for Abdullah,” Mohammad Yousuf, Al Ahli’s table tennis manager, said.
“But this is something that we will not be able to do alone. We will need help and co-ordination from the UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association and I am confident that he can become the first table tennis player from the UAE to play at an Olympic Games. I think this goal is not too difficult for the level he has attained at such a young age. I think he can make it to Tokyo in 2020,” he added.
