On May 12, 2020, Former National Table Tennis (TT) champion Manmeet Singh Walia, passed away at the age of 58 in Montreal,Canada. Manmeet was suffering from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a disease that causes motor neuron degeneration, leading to voluntary muscle impairment.
Key Points:
i.About Manmeet Singh: He became the national champion in 1989 when he beat S Sriram in the men’s singles final in Hyderabad. He was also one of the finest and consistent performers in the 1980’s.
ii.However, Manmeet could not repeat his Hyderabad performance in the subsequent nationals but he had made it to the finals four times on the trot since 1981.
iii.Manmeet had represented the country at multiple international events after making his debut at the Asian Championships in 1980 along with 8 times national champion Kamlesh Mehta.
iv.Indian Squad: The Indian squad then, comprising Manjeet Singh Dua, Kamlesh Mehta, B. Arun Kumar, Manmeet and V. Chandrasekhar, led 4-2 before losing 4-5 to North Korea.
v.Manmeet’s two crucial wins at the age of 18, included beating then World number six Jo Young Ho, their top player, and another player who was World No. 13.
vi.Manmeet was crucial as he won both his rubbers and put India ahead. India finished fifth in the championships. After he retired from the sport, he went to Canada and settled there.
About Canada:
Capital– Ottawa.
Prime Minister (PM)– Justin Pierre James Trudeau.
Currency– Canadian dollar.
