TABLE TENNIS\\\ Monika Pawłowska (AZS UWM Olsztyn), 11, reached the podium at the WTT Youth Contender tournaments in Varazdin, Croatia, and Otocec, Slovenia.

In Varazdin, Croatia, which hosted the 2021 European Cadet and Junior Championships, Monika Pawłowska won two matches and suffered two defeats. In the final U-11 rankings, the young player from Olsztyn was only beaten by Li Cheuk Tung from Hong Kong and Eleonora Shireva from Uzbekistan, winning the bronze medal.
In the U-19 category, Natalia Bogdanowicz (Polmlek Lidzbark Warmiński), who previously reached the podium of this tournament, performed. In the group stage, Bogdanowicz won two victories (3-0 against Canadian Demi Yu Ting Cai and 3-1 against Czech Veronika Polakova), in 1/32 final she had a free spell, while in 1 /16 final she lost to the Japanese Saya Yamamuro 0-3 (8:11, 4:11, 6:11).
From Croatia, the table tennis players moved to Otocec, Slovenia, where they participated in the upcoming WTT Youth Contender competition. And the young resident of Olsztyn took third place again! In the semifinals, Pawłowska lost 1:3 to the eventual winner of the competition, Li Cheung Tung from Hong Kong. Adam Stachowiak (AZS UWM) also did well, finishing in the top sixteen for the second time in a row.
The best Pole was Milosz Redzimski (Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki), who won the gold medal after winning nine matches, eight of them 3-0. Note that since the 1/8 finals, the Pole has won matches against Asians, including three South Korean players. Currently, Redzimski, the current European junior champion and vice-European junior champion, is participating in the WTT Youth Star Contender tournament in Skopje.
– This year, my daughter became provincial champion in singles and doubles, beating girls who had been training for five years – remembers Dorota Pawłowska, a proud mother. – That’s why the coaches decided to send her to Władysławowo for the WTT Youth Contender tournament, where she took second place. And at the end of the vacation, she went to Croatia and Slovenia, where she again climbed onto the podium, thanks to which she moved from 167th to 28th place in the world ranking of her age category. Of course, the trip involved considerable costs, which were partly covered by the club and by us, that is, the parents, but my daughter also contributed a lot with her, so to speak, to the funds communion and birthday (laughs).
– We are proud of Monika’s results – admits coach Joanna Ryba. – Especially since he has only been training for two years. With her, we have done a lot of work, which is yielding the first results, as evidenced by the results of the last three WTT Youth Contender competitions.
Around 60 people train every day at AZS UWM Olsztyn under the leadership of Joanna Ryba, Michał Ogrodniczak and Jacek Świtalski. Next season the Olsztyn club will have teams in the 1st and 2nd women’s leagues and in the 2nd and 3rd men’s leagues. – Monika Pawłowska once played in the second league, but at the same level, one of our basic players will now be Adam Stachowiak, who was recently ranked 9-16 twice in Croatia and Slovenia. – adds Joanna Ryba at the end.
* September 16 in 16th of the first women’s championship match, English Perfect AZS UWM Olsztyn will host GOSRiT Energa Mar-Bruk ZRB Luzino.

* Results, Croatia: Monika Pawłowska – Cindy Zhu (Canada) 3:0 (11:6, 11:3, 11:6), Li Cheuk Tung (Hong Kong) – Pawłowska 3:2 (6:11, 11:3 , 9:11, 11:8, 11:2), Eleonora Shirieva (Uzbekistan) – Pawłowska 3:2 (11:8, 7:11, 11:9, 3:11, 11:9), Pawłowska – Zeynep Duran (Turkey) 3:2 (11:3, 11:8, 4:11, 6:11, 12:10); Slovenia: Pawłowska – Zeynep Duran (Turkey) 3:2, Pawłowska – Cinfy Zhu (Canada) 2:3, Pawłowska – Li Cheung Tung (Hong Kong) 1:3.

ARTUR DRYHYNYCZ