Perth’s Gavin Rumgay has been selected to represent Scotland at a FIFTH Commonwealth Games.
The table tennis star, a 16-time Scottish champion, can’t wait to pull on the nation’s colours at Birmingham 2022.
He has previously competed at Manchester 2002, Delhi 2010, Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018.
But his determination to succeed on the grandest of stages continues to be stronger than ever.
“I will give it everything for Team Scotland this summer at my fifth Games,” Rumgay said.
“I’m not sure exactly how many times I have played for Scotland.
“But I have done some rough calculations and it is definitely more than 200 caps.
“I’ve had a wee peek at the world rankings and it looks like I might creep into the top 16 seeds. That would be a bonus.
“I’ll need to wait for confirmation on that, which probably won’t be until the end of June.”
Rumgay, who enjoys creating an energetic atmosphere, hopes there will be plenty of Scots at the NEC Arena.
“It adds extra when you have the crowd to support,” he told the PA.
“It will be a predominantly English crowd, but for 15 or 20 years I’ve played in loads of tournaments in England.
“I’d like to think I will be supported quite well. There should be a lot of Scots down too but it can be tough to get tickets.
“I’ll get a few complimentary tickets for friends and family, but not that many.”
Preparations for the Commonwealth Games, which begin at the end of July, may include a trip to Germany.
Rumgay has been playing competitive table tennis over there in recent times and has picked up a number of strong results.
The 37-year-old will hope to bring his experience and game management to the table in Birmingham.
“My backhand might disintegrate, my serve maybe won’t be going so well, but the scoreboard will be level,” he said.
“I think that is the sign of a good match player. It’s all about game management. Hopefully, at 37, I’ve not lost that.”
Table tennis will take place at the NEC Arena in Birmingham between July 29 and August 8, with two sessions a day.
