Jackson High student a national, international table tennis champ
Sarah Jalli strikes a white ball with rhythmic precision during a warm-up with her table tennis coach.
The ball bounces back and forth between Sarah and Samson Dubina, of the Samson Dubina Table Tennis Academy in Coventry Township, until the beat is broken by a missed shot.
“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” Sarah said.
The 15-year-old Jackson High School sophomore recently returned from her first international competition — the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pan American Youth Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She represented the United States in competitions against players from North and South America.
Sarah secured the title of girls’ singles champion in the under 15 division. She also won gold medals for girls’ doubles and team events and won a silver medal for mixed doubles.
“It’s hard to say how you’re going to perform outside of the country, but she did a really good job rising to the occasion,” Dubina said.
Sarah has won several national competitions since the age of 11 and claimed the U.S. National Championships title for girls’ under 15 and under 17 this year. She’s ranked third out of all women and girls in the United States, securing her a spot in the Pan American Championships in Salt Lake City.
“Based on who wins that one, that team goes to the world championships, which is in China,” Dubina said.
She began playing competitively around 8 years old
Sarah played table tennis casually at a recreation center when she was younger and her family lived in New York. She began playing competitively around the age of 8.
There were times that her parents encouraged her to pursue team sports with friends, but she expressed the most interest in table tennis.
“As parents, we kind of supported whatever she wanted to do,” her father Sudhakar Jalli said.
They ensured she put her education first and participated in early decisions about practice and tournaments but now are mainly cheerleaders. Her competitive spirit became more apparent
after she was defeated in competitions, including her first U.S. National Championships about five years ago.
“Then she would come back and practice harder,” Sudhakar Jalli said.
His daughter manages her time well and even refrains from social media, he said. Sarah’s success in table tennis has been a rewarding experience for her and her parents.
“I love the speed of the sport, and then the amount of self-discipline you need to have and the amount of focus for each and every point,” she said.
A shot can cross the 9-foot table in less than 0.11 seconds — three times faster than the blink of an eye — according to “ESPN Sportsscience.” That statistic and other aspects of the sport are included in a 2020 book titled “Why Table Tennis?” co-authored by Dubina, Sarah and fellow academy member Jacob Boyd.
In table tennis, the server hits the ball so that it bounces on their side of the net before crossing to their opponent’s side. Players then return the ball after it bounces on their side and score points when an opponent fails to do so.
A player or team must score 11 points to win or have a two-point lead after a 10-10 tie, according to ITTF rules. The number of games per match can vary by competition.
Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988.
‘Right now, I’m just trying to make the Olympics.’
Sarah is at the table tennis academy six days a week.
She trained six to eight hours a day during the summer and practices three to four hours a day now that school is in session.
After school on a recent Friday, Dubina drove Sarah to the academy. She was there until 6 p.m. and then returned home to do school work before practicing some more with an automated table tennis machine.
“Right now, I’m just trying to make the Olympics,” she said.
Although much of her time revolves around table tennis, Sarah practices about half as much as some of the top competitors in other countries. Dubina said her focus and quality performance at practices have helped her excel.
He sees her path to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris as a real possibility. Four players from North America can qualify for the games.
“So Sarah has to play amazing, and if she continues with the rate that she’s doing it, she’s going to make it,” Dubina said.
Sarah credits her coach, parents and sponsors for her success thus far.
“I would like to give all the glory to God,” she added.
Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323