Table tennis triumphs put NAS in spotlight

the seeds planted in the National Academy of Sports (NAS) have begun to bear fruit.

Student-athletes from the NAS were among those reported by the Inquirer as having ruled the recent US Open Table Tennis Championships.

Khevine Kheith Cruz, a prized find from Tondo, Manila, and Quezon’s Liam Zion Cabalu led a pile of strong performances from students in the NAS program after winning gold in the under-13 boys doubles event in the Las Vegas meet featuring over 1,500 table netters from 42 states and 19 countries.

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Two golds

As earlier reported by the Inquirer, the Grade 7 Cruz and the Grade 8 Cabalu pulled off a stunning 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 victory over No. 1 Kyler Chen and Liren Zhang in an unexpected monumental upset.

The other student-athletes from NAS nearly climbed the medal podium with Ghianne Cordova (Grade 10 from Bacolod City) and Angel Nueva (Grade 10 from Gamay, Northern Samar) reaching the quarterfinals in the U17 girls doubles while Alexa Gan (Grade 7 from Pasig City) and Maria Angelli Cruz (Grade 8 from Pulilan, Bulacan) advancing to the top 16 in the U15 girls doubles.

“The performances of our student-athletes showcase the world-class talent and training at NAS with the guidance and mentorship of their coaches,” said NAS executive director Josephine Joy Reyes.

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Team Philippines actually brought home two golds from Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center in Las Vegas after Kheith Rhynne Cruz seized the gold medal in the under-19 girls’ doubles with Irene Yeoh of the United States. —June Navarro INQ