Will give my best to keep our flag flying high, says Selena

“The triple gold at Egypt has increased my confidence level and motivated me to push further in the upcoming tournaments”, said a jubilant Selena after making a clean sweep in the Nile territory. 

The top seed overcame potent challenges from Alhodaby sisters (Mariam and Marwa) en route before winning her title in the singles category. She then paired up with Nigerian Esther Oribamise in the doubles event to get past the Egyptian-Greek pairing of Farida Bawary and Malamatenia Papadimitriou in five games. 

“A lot of credit will have to go to coaches Vasu and Ravi Venkatesh for their valuable inputs. I am very thankful to my National coach Massimo (Italy) for his contribution. I will continue to work hard and try to be instrumental in flying our Indian flag high through my achievements in Table Tennis”, she added. 

The 17-year-old, who is also in the reckoning for a place in the senior squad, is currently doing her B. Com degree at MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai.    

Arul Selvi, mother of Selena, also assists her in the early morning drills at the YMCA, Royapettah. She expressed gratitude to the school and college her daughter has been a part of. “I am grateful to Good Shepard Matric Higher Secondary School and MOP Vaishnav College for Women for acting as pillars of support in helping my daughter to pursue her goal”, said Arul Selvi. 

As far as her future assignments are concerned, Selena is set to be a part of the Spanish Open and is more likely to make a trip to Luxembourg for the ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals early next year. The latter is an invitational event where the top 16 paddlers from around the world battle for the prized possession.