Monday, November 20th, 2023.- Chileans Ignacio Torres and Matías Pino faced Costa Rican representatives Domingo Arguello and Steven Román in Para table tennis, MD14 category, defeating them in three sets with scores of 11-2, 11-8, 11-1, in just 16 minutes of play. 

According to the local competitors, this victory was not by chance but the result of an extensive preparation process for doubles play. 

"We have prepared for doubles in a hardworking way, day by day. We have sacrificed time with family to play tournaments together, play with conventional table tennis players, go to different places to try to adapt to different styles of play, and the results are showing. Now, the last step is missing," said Matías Pino, who, along with his partner, is one match away from winning the gold medal for their country. 

"We worked a lot on doubles, and the results are showing now. I believe we are on par with the Brazilians who brought 10 more people than us, so these results speak very well of what we are doing," added his teammate Ignacio Torres. 

"We came prepared for this; we expected nothing less. We were the second seeds, so it was what we had to do, and we fulfilled it thoroughly," Pino added. 

"We played three very good matches in the preliminary rounds. All the matches were totally different; we won them in different ways, being strategic and knowing the game we had to play in each of them. So, we are very happy to be in the final, and now what is coming is completely new. We have never faced this pair, but we have studied them thoroughly," Pino said, referring to the Brazilian duo of Israel Pereira and Paulo Salmin, whom they will face at 6:00 p.m. at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico in Ñuñoa. 



Written by Erwin Acevedo; translated by Pía Barriga Ferry / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport 
Ph: Dragomir Yankovic / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport