MANILA, Philippines – The future shines bright for the Philippines in the world of table tennis as two teenage prodigies, Khevine Cruz of Tondo, Manila, and Liam Cabalu of Quezon province, struck doubles gold in the 2024 US Open Table Tennis Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, last December 16 to 21.
Seeded last in the 27-tandem tournament, the Filipino pair from the National Academy of Sports (NAS) essentially rode a full wave of upsets from bottom to top, culminating in a monumental conquest of top-seeded US home bets Kyler Chen and Liren Zhang.
This was not the first glimpse of elite potential from the dynamic duo as Cruz and Cabalu also recently finished first and second, respectively, after an all-Filipino final in the WTT Youth Contender 2024 in Dubai last October.
“These victories showcase the world-class talent and training at NAS, with the guidance and mentorship of their coaches. Our athletes competed against the best and proved they can level up on the international stage,” said NAS Executive Director Josephine Joy Reyes.
Run and funded by the Philippine government, NAS aims to find the next generation of sports stars directly from the grassroots level, supporting them with full-ride scholarships, training, allowances, and other benefits necessary to unhampered development.
NAS further tested its potential in the Palarong Pambansa 2024 in Cebu, where the organization debuted as a separate “region” of sorts and broke through with an eight-medal haul of one gold, five silvers, and two bronzes.
With world-class athletes like Cruz and Cabalu on board, NAS has since attracted support from other elite sponsors and athletes like Olympic double-gold icon Carlos Yulo.
Other NAS prospects who competed in the 2024 US Open were Ghianne Cordova (Grade 10, Bacolod City), Angel Nueva (Grade 10, Northern Samar), Alexa Gan (Grade 7, Pasig City), and Maria Angelli Cruz (Grade 8, Bulacan). – Rappler.com
