Teen proud after Oceania games
Hand-eye co-ordination, lightning-fast reactions, strategic nous and pin-point accuracy are hallmarks of table tennis.
They’re skills that Feilding teen Abbey Webb used to bring home two silver medals from the Oceania Championships in Suva, Fiji, last month.
Her efforts in two doubles categories were rewarded, but she lost to Australia in the mixed doubles 2-3 and then again 1-3 in regular doubles.
‘‘I stood on that podium proud of the fact I’m from New Zealand and proud of how much I love my sport... but I must admit I was starting to get annoyed with the repeat of the Australian national anthem.’’
Webb took confidence from competing against some of the best junior table tennis gurus in the world.
A spot on the podium was a dream come true in her first international representative event.
‘‘For someone like me, coming from a small town in the heart of Manawatu I often don’t get to play any girls and events like these are one of the few times I get to socialise and train with female players.
‘‘I learnt a lot from the amazing young juniors. It doesn’t matter about age or skill, you can take a lot of things from them.’’
Perhaps more fierce than the competition on the table was the stifling heat the athletes had to acclimatise to.
Webb recalled a training session upon arriving in Suva and ‘‘hadn’t sweated that much’’ in her life.
‘‘The table and balls were always damp and this affected how we played.’’
The experience has only developed her passion for the sport as she sets her eyes to her ultimate goal - the Commonwealth Games and hopefully, one day, get one back on the Aussies.
‘‘Now I have extra motivation to train hard, repeat the opportunity to represent my country, see the friends I have made and to drown out the Australian national anthem.’’
Webb thanked the Manawatu District Council for a travel grant.