Kostas Fakaros and Mark-Lucas Stoafford-Svart have moved to Vladislavovo on Tuesday and on Wednesday they compete in the World Table Tennis Youth Contender in the country, which also shows a high level with great athletes from Europe and Asia.
The event is hosted at the excellent “Olympic Training Center Cetniewo” and will last until next Saturday.
In their first year as teenagers, Fakaros and Stafford will take part in the age categories Under 17 and Under 19, and will also be present at the double mixed Under 19 with European teammates. The two children, who fight for the palm tree of Hagia Sophia Piraeus and Diogenes Patras respectively and train together in AO Tatavla, are accompanied by Paul Roland Stafford, Father of Mark.
Fakaros is number 7 this month in the Greek teenage evaluation table, this year he competed in two final development tournaments and comes from two bronze medals at the Pan-Hellenic Young Men-New Women’s Championships that ended Monday in the SEF. It already has significant shows from Youth Contender and will test for the first time in the Under 19 category.
The left -handed squeeze is in March at number 36 of the teenagers, he also competed in the K21 Pan -Hellenic Championship and with remarkable appearances entered the round of ’32. In 2024 he was a second -year Greek champion in the children’s team with the 80s Rouf jersey.
So far he has only had international games at the Europe Youth Series in Loutraki, Corinth and this week will live his first experience in the Youth Contender institution.
In the north of Poland, the program for boys opens with the big category of teenagers. Under 19 formed 23 qualifying groups. Everything is of the three athletes, with the exception of the last one having four athletes, so the total entries will be 70. The first two athletes qualify for the board, the rest are excluded.
Fakaros was drawn to the sixth group and will meet Swedish William Bergenblock (head) and Polish Felix Gulan. Recall that Bergenblock had made a newsletter this year and Olympiacos, he just didn’t have to come to Athens to strengthen him.
Stafford will compete in the 23rd group with Polish Artur Gromek (head) and Lee Elsvorth from Singapore.
The boys’ Under 17 category were made 32 groups. The latter is the four athletes and the total entries reached 97!
Fakaros went from the second series of seeding to the 21st group. He will face Korean Lee Yihou (first favorite) and Polish Jan Rosepara.
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