The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Perth table tennis ace sets sights on 15th Scottish national title
Gavin Rumgay is out to set a record that will never be broken, at this weekend’s Scottish National Championships in Perth.
The Scottish number one is after an unprecedented 15th men’s singles title – a record that will surely stand the test of time.
The 35-year-old, from Perth, who won his first title at 17, beat the previous record of 12 held by Euan Walker two years ago after overtaking Richard Yule (8) and David Hannah (10).
His main threat this weekend will come from Colin Dalgleish, seeded two, but Rumgay starts the event at Bell’s Sports Centre as firm favourite.
He won a bronze medal at the World Championship of Ping Pong earlier this year in London and continues to hold ambitions in the sport.
“At the start of every year, you have to write down four or five goals otherwise you go through your career not knowing what you’re trying to achieve,” he said.
“When I first started, it was trying to get my first Scottish national title – I got that at 17. Then I wanted to win a UK grand prix title – I got that at 20 in Cardiff. My next goal was to win a match at Pro Tour level and that took until I was 21.
“My last aim was to try to be in the top 100 in the world at table tennis and that hasn’t happened. But now the Ping Pong has come along and this seems to be the thing for me.”
Rumgay, ranked number four in Britain at table tennis, is looking for some commercial backers to help him continue to achieve.
He had a four-year sponsorship deal with Brewdog which worked well for both parties but that ended in 2018.