Stuti Kashap makes history, Antigua and Barbuda wins after 30 years

Antigua and Barbuda: Stuti Kashap made Antigua and Barbuda proud by claiming the Caribbean U15 Girls Singles Champion title at the Caribbean Table Tennis Championships 2024. The Table tennis championship was recently hosted at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from April 23–28, 2024.

Throughout the event, Stuti, who represented Antigua and Barbuda in the Championships, displayed her skill and did not drop a single game. She managed to secure a perfect score of 3-0 against all the opponents in the Championship.

Stuti’s victory marks a historical significance as Antigua and Barbuda made its first appearance at the games in over 30 years. And stuti’s title is their first-ever title won at these championships. Not only this, but, the title won by her is the first championship title for any territory within the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

In addition, Kashap demonstrated her versatility by finishing third in both the categories of U15 Mixed Doubles with Cuban partner Andy Maqueira and in the U15 Girls Doubles with Shatal Charles of Saint Lucia.

Table Tennis Player Stuti Kashap was accompanied by Charles Bellot, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Table Tennis Association (ABTTA) and Treasurer of the Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federation (CRTTF). He took part in the championships as a delegate and coach.

Bellot congratulated the nation on this historic win by stating, “Stuti’s historic win not only brings glory to our nation but also reinvigorates our commitment to table tennis.” He expressed that, as her coach, he is immensely proud of the performance she displayed at the championship.

President of ABTTA, Charles Bellot, optimistically stated that Antigua and Barbuda, in the coming games, will be able to field a complete squad in all categories, including Men and Women Seniors, and Boys and Girls U15 and U19 in Teams, Individual and Doubles.

On being asked about the future plans, he affirmed that the association is all prepared to find talent in the country and to expand its categories by finding players for U11 and U13 by intensifying the search and giving proper training and chance to the youth so that they can foster in sports and make the nation proud.