by Olalekan Okusan, ITTF-Africa Press Officer

Quite simply, it was for Mariana Sahakian, an experience never to be forgotten; especially her second match of table number one.

“Despite losing two matches , I have enjoyed myself in Budapest particularly having the opportunity to play in the main hall was an experience I will not forget in a hurry. Budapest has been a good experience for me; I was able to play against top players with different styles of play. I hope to continue to enjoy the moment in Hungary.

Most importantly, Mariana Sahakian is wiser for the venture. However, for the 41 year old, there is a major goal, having competed in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

“I hardly compete in any tournaments apart from this World Championships and other continental competitions because of lack of funds. My main target is to make it to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. This is my priority for now and attending the Budapest World Championships will afford me the chance to assess other players and gain points to be able to get good draw during the qualifiers later this year in Hong Kong.” Mariana Sahakian

Now, for two decades, Mariana Sahakian has been representing Lebanon despite having featured previously for Armenia, her home country for whom she made her debut at the World Championships at Zagreb 2007 in Croatia.