Miri boy, 14, wins gold in Pickleball Thailand Open

Tournament director Elaine Shallcross presenting the medal to Roshen.

MIRI, March 6: Fourteen-year-old Dalzshervyn Roshen Prabakaran from Miri won first place in the Under-16 Singles category at the Pickleball Thailand Open recently.

According to a press statement, the tournament was held in Hua Hin, Thailand on February 15.

He met Théo Teles of Thailand in the final and won 15-13 to secure the gold medal.

Roshen who is a student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Joseph, Miri, has been playing the sport for the past three years.

He has been honing his skills and perfecting his techniques since he first started playing at Gymkhana Club Miri under the watch by his parents.

Roshen had been training and practising for months in preparation for the competition.

He said that it was a great feeling to have so many people’s support, and that it had motivated him to keep pushing and striving for excellence.

Pickleball is a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. It is played on a badminton-sized court with slightly modified equipment, and is gaining a following among both children and adults.

In the last few years, pickleball has grown in popularity, particularly in the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world including Malaysia.

Roshen’s next tournament together with his sister, Kirshelya, will be the Asia Pickleball Open in Phuket, Thailand from March 14–18. Roshen and Kirshelya are also the silver and bronze medallists in the World Pickleball Championship 2022 Under-18 Boys’ and Girls’ Singles respectively in Bali, Indonesia. — DayakDaily