Yesterday, the sports hall of the Palace of Culture and Arts in Babai worked like a table without pauses — serve, return, and instant response.
Twenty-four players aged 10 to 35 from Vysokyi, Babai, and Pokotylivka took part in the Vysokyi Community Table Tennis Championship.
Here, every set was decided not by mood, but by the ability to maintain the rhythm and not fall apart on the opponent’s second serve.
Two and a half hours without relaxation. There were moments when rallies lasted 10–15 shots, and everything came down to a single mistake on a return or a precise shot into the corner. The younger players scored quick points through courage, while the older ones pulled through matches with patience and by reading spin. One missed ball often cost an entire game.
The finals kept everyone on edge until the very last rally — a difference of just a few points, where victory depended not on power, but on keeping a cool head during the opponent’s serve.
Results:
Men
I – Volodymyr Loktiev, 19, Babai
II – Vladyslav Abelentsev, 17, Babai
III – Illia Yemets, 35, Vysokyi
Younger Group
I – Zakhar Kharchenko, 10, Vysokyi
II – Mykhailo Lypnytskyi, 13, Vysokyi
III – Roman Kravchenko, 12, Pokotylivka
Girls
I – Viktoriia Panchuk, 12, Babai
II – Anastasiia Demchuk, 10, Babai
III – Anna Melnychenko, 12, Babai
All participants received certificates as proof that they maintained the pace of the game without pause. The winners received trophies, medals, and gifts from the HIGH HUB Youth Center.
In a few years, someone may forget the scores of these matches. But it is from tournaments like these that the stories of athletes begin — athletes whom the entire community will one day be proud of.
With support: High Hub Youth Center