Tomlinson focused on a podium position

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

National table tennis sensation, Simon Tomlinson, is looking forward to winning a medal at next month's Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

The 19-year-old Tomlinson, who is the youngest member of Jamaica's team to this year's tournament, told The Gleaner he is going to make the nation proud.

"I am confident going into next month's Commonwealth Games because I have been training for past three months and everything has gone well so far in my preparations," said Tomlinson, a former Ardenne High table tennis standout.

"I am going there to do best and to do all that I can to win a medal for my country and my family, because I know that I have what it takes to get on that medal podium," Tomlinson said.

The righted-handed Tom-linson, who has represented Jamaica's junior team at a number of overseas tournaments, secured his place on Jamaica's Commonwealth Games team by finishing runner-up to national champion Joseph Dibbs at the national trials.

Hard work

Commenting on the way he felt when he was informed that he was a member of the Commonwealth Games team, Tomlinson said: "Well, I a got call from the president, Keith Garvey, I thought afterwards that this a dream come true and I needed to do more training to improve my game in the sport, and I have been doing a lot of hard work in practice since then."

Despite Tomlinson's huge success so far in the sport, he recorded a very poor showing at the just-concluded national championships, where he was knocked out in the round of 16 by Jermaine Newell.

"I think that I definitely should have done a lot better. But because my training schedule was interrupted by school I could not get enough time to practise the way I wanted to," Tomlinson said.

A student at the University of Technology, Tomlinson, who has been playing the sport for past 11 years, noted that he also hopes to represent the country at next year's World Championships and beyond.

"I would like to represent Jamaica at the Olympics and World Championships within the next few years, but I need to be above and beyond what I am now in order to achieve this," said the soft-spoken Tomlinson.