Khoi Khoi Sai Marma delivered a standout performance at the National Table Tennis Championships, winning six gold medals -- including the singles titles in both women’s and girls’ events -- at the 40th edition of the tournament, which concluded yesterday at the Shaheed Taj Uddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium.
Her run also propelled BKSP to overall glory, as they clinched nine of the 14 titles across senior and junior categories.
Khoi Khoi swept the singles, doubles, team and mixed titles in the junior section, while also claiming the women’s singles and mixed titles in the senior bracket, along with two silver and one bronze medal in the eight-day-long competition.
In the women’s singles final, she faced a stiff challenge from reigning champion Sadia Rahman Mou, who competed strongly in the first and third sets before eventually going down 3-0.
In the men’s section, Muhtasin Ahmed Ridoy of Bangladesh Army reclaimed the singles crown he had lost to Ramhim Lion Bawm in the 2023 edition, defeating him 3-1 in the final.
It marked his third national title, following earlier triumphs in 2018 and 2020.
“During the 2023 championship, I had targeted both junior and senior singles titles, but we had to be content with the junior title,” said Khoi Khoi.
She credited regular training as the key behind BKSP’s success in their first appearance at the national championships.
Khoi Khoi, however, admitted that the packed schedule took its toll, with the tournament featuring a total of 830 matches across senior and junior sections.
“In the last three to four days, we had to play five to six games a day. Even today (yesterday), I had to play five matches,” she said.
Ridoy echoed those concerns, urging the federation to “be a bit more organised” and improve its match scheduling.
Several organisers present on the final day also suggested that the federation consider holding the senior and junior championships separately to ease the workload on players and preserve the standard of the national event by introducing clearer eligibility criteria, instead of allowing paddlers of all age groups.
