HOPEFUL. Table tennis player Kheith Rhynne Cruz (right) talks about her preparation to qualify for the Paris Olympics during the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports, Inc.'s Usapang Sports forum at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Conference Room inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Manila on Thursday (March 21, 2024). The 17-year-old will join Paris Olympics qualifiers Europe Open in Czechia in April and Asian Championships in Thailand in May. (TOPS photo)
MANILA – Table tennis player Kheith Rhynne Cruz is ready to face the challenge in her bid to compete in the Olympics.
The 17-year-old will join the Europe Open in Czechia (April) and the Asian Championships in Thailand (May), both qualifiers for the Paris Games set July 26 to Aug. 11.
“I will be playing mixed doubles with John Nayre at the Europe Open. We need to perform well because only the top four will get slots for Paris. In the Asian Championships, I will play in the singles and I must win the tournament to get an Olympic berth,” shared Cruz during the Usapang Sports forum of the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports, Inc. (TOPS) at the Philippine Sports Commission Conference Room inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila on Thursday.
Cruz is currently world No. 66 in the Under-17 category.
She won the World Table Tennis Youth Challenge U19 title in Puerto Princesa, Palawan last December.
“The challenge is tough, but I am ready. I want to repay the trust and support of my countrymen and my sponsors, who continue to believe in my ability," the Grade 12 student from Paco Citizen Academy Foundation said during the weekly session. “That's why I focus on training and I benefit from the opportunities playing abroad.”
Cruz is determined to follow the footsteps of her idol, the late Ian Lariba who saw action at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“If I get lucky this year, it will be a blessing. But if not, I'll target the next Olympics. My dream is to follow the success of Ate Yan-Yan (Lariba)," she said.
Lariba was only 23 when she died on Sept. 2, 2018 following a year-long battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
Cruz went to the United States in January this year, winning the Open singles and mixed doubles with Kenneth Pinili at the Sacramento Winter Open Table Tennis in California.
In February, she bagged four medals at the Silicon Valley Table Tennis tournament in San Francisco, winning the U19 singles, Open singles, U19 mixed doubles with American Bosman Botha, and the Open women's doubles with Korean Dongheon Lee.
“I'm super proud to compete in a world-class tournament. I'm so inspired with to play. I just hope the support will continue so that I can continue training in the US," Cruz said.
She will soon return to California to train at the Triple 8 Club Center, managed by Filipino migrant Ivy Spencer.
“It's better to train in the US than in China. First is the communication. Secondly, it's harder to play in a higher-level tournament in China. In the US, there's no problem if you want to play against world-ranked players,” said Cruz.
The top five women tennis players players in the world are Chinese, led by Sun Yingsha.
In the men’s division, Chinese players occupy the top four.
Japanese Miwa Harimoto, 15, is the No. 1 youth player in the world and No. 12 overall.
Cruz also thanked her supporters, led by the Table Tennis Association for National Development and Joola and Xiom, a Korean company that produces a wide range of high quality and professional table tennis equipment. (PNA)
