Alberto Miño – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games competitor – Emiliano Riofrío and Rodrigo Tapia were part of the men’s table tennis team that earned Ecuador a ticket to the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago after participating in the Special Qualification held in Lima. Three micro-tennis players, under the guidance of coach Vicente Reyes, spent two weeks on Peruvian soil, where two team qualifications for Santiago 2023 were held.

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The three also had their passports stamped for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, but the recently completed qualification process posed a higher level of demand for the Ecuadorians. The tricolor team reached the semi-finals of the South American Table Tennis Championship, but qualification eluded Miña, Riofría and Tapia when they lost to Chile in the crucial match in a close fight 3-2 (1-0, 1-1). , 2 -1, 2-2, 2-3). Then, in the Special Qualifications, the Ecuadorian trio defeated a tough opponent: the Dominican Republic 3-1 (1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 3-1).

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The duo of Miño-Riofrío defeated the pair of Isaac Vila and Iaji Wu 3-0 in the first match of the series against the Dominicans, in the Special Qualifiers. Later, in the singles match, Tapia lost 3-2 against Samuel Gálvez, who tied the series at 1-1 for Quisqueyanos.

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Emotions ran high in games where there was little room for error. Miño faced Wu, a micro-tennis player who had given the Ecuadorian headaches in previous meetings between the two. The man from Guayaquil didn’t think twice and defeated the Dominicans 3-0 to send the national team into a 2-1 lead. Another porteño, Tapia, sealed qualification for the Pan American Games by beating Vila 3-0 in his turn.

Alberto Miño. Photo: Olympic Committee of Ecuador

They want a gold medal

Upon his return to Ecuador, Alberto Miño stated: “We knew that the Dominican Republic was a strong rival because, among other things, they had a (nationalized) Chinese micro-tennis player.” Meanwhile, Riofrío said: “The short training sessions helped us a lot, we visualized how we were going to play, the line-up we were going to use. We have been playing for 15 days and we were adapted, so it was easier for us to play”.

At the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, as the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee (COE) states on its official website, “Miño was on the verge of medal contention, having reached the quarterfinals. As for that and what he expects in Santiago 2023, the player said: “What I’m aiming for is to win a medal at the Pan American Games, that’s the goal and I’ll fight for it.”

Riofrío and Miño form one of the most powerful duos in Latin America, and that’s why Riofrío is optimistic about the Pan American Games: “We expect a medal as a team. In pairs with Albert there is a chance for gold, we aim for that medal”. Before the competition, the athletes prepared in Europe. (D)

Rodrigo Tapia. Photo: Olympic Committee of Ecuador