Goa’s talented young paddler, Yug Prabhu clinched a well-deserved bronze medal in the U11 boys singles category at the prestigious UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Tournament, which concluded on October 25 at Navelim Stadium.
Overcoming both physical challenges and a highly competitive field, 10-year-old Yug delivered an impressive performance, defeating Ankush Baliga (Karnataka) 3-0 in the Round of 32, Subham Adhikari (Bengal) 3-0 in the Round of 16, and narrowly overcoming Nirvesh Saikia (Assam) 3-2 in the quarter-finals. His journey came to an end in the semi-finals against top seed Ariv Dutta (NCOE), where he faced a challenging 3-0 defeat. Yug, who is aided for his bilateral hearing disability, began training at just six years old and has since ascended to remarkable ranks both at the state and national levels. He is ranked number one in Goa and 5 in India in boys U11 category.
Sudin Verenkar, President of the Goa Table Tennis Association (GTTA), commented: “We have some promising young players who have immense talent and potential. Quite a few of them qualified in the Main Draw while Yug went on to win a medal for host Goa, a proud moment for our State. It’s been a long wait and we are happy to have won a medal here in Goa”. Echoing this sentiment, Nilesh Kirtani, Joint Secretary of the GTTA, added: “Yug’s journey reflects the immense potential of our young athletes when nurtured with guidance and opportunities. Yug has been working extremely hard, and his win is truly well deserved.”
