DEAF athlete,Vivian Bale did not let her disability come in the way when she played in the final of the doubles women's B grade at the Fiji Open Table Tennis Championship yesterday.
Bale and her partner Litiana Seru beat Pushpa Wati and her daughter-in-law Michelle Lal 3-0 in the Kasabias-sponsored tournament at the FMF Gymnasium in Suva.
The Tailevu lass said she was confident about her chances in the sport and was looking forward to climbing the ranks.
"I was excited and happy after the win and this has fuelled my desire to make it into the A grade," the 17-year-old Bale said through an interpreter.
Wati was also in jovial mood after the final because this was the first time she had paired with her daughter-in-law.
"It was a good game and I was not disheartened by the loss," the 49-year-old said.
Wati is also the president of the Suva Table Tennis Association and she looks forward to playing in more competitions with Lal.
Meanwhile, sisters Sally and Grace Yee played each other in the under-13 final and it was the elder sibling, Sally, who prevailed 3-0.
In the upset of the day, local competitor Young Jun Park beat top seed Norwegian Olav Dahl in the under-15 final but Dahl got one back a few hours later, beating Park in the under-18 grade.
Ba player Diego Ranuku was awarded the most improved competition prize of $75 for his efforts on day one (Friday).
The main final will be played today and organisers have called on interested spectators to attend the event. Entry is free.