by Olalekan Okusan, ITTF Press Officer
It was a third appearance for the 27 year old in the tournament, having competed in Rotterdam in 2011 and two years later in Paris; one of his aims, in addition to reaching the main draw of major tournaments, being to raise the profile of table tennis in Latin America.
“I think with what Hugo Calderano has done, this has given a lot of us in Latin America hope that we can be among the best in the world. Who could have imagined that a Latin American player will be among the top 10 ranked players; it has happened and this for me is what is driving us in that region of the world. We must believe in ourselves and not to give up even when we are set up against some of the best players in the world.” Jorge Campos
Over the years Cuba has excelled in the world of athletics and boxing, medals abundant.
“In Cuba, the most popular sports are baseball and boxing, when I was young I wanted to play baseball because it is the national sport in Cuba. However, when I tried table tennis, I fell in love with the sport and I was given the opportunity to sharpen my skills in Sweden for three years through the support of an ITTF Scholarship. For three years I was in Köping in Sweden honing my skills. I believe going to Sweden was a big step in my career as it opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities in the sport,” Jorge Campos
Currently Jorge Campos is the number two national player in Cuba behind Andy Pereira and plies his trade in the fifth division of the German Bundesliga with TTC Kist.
“After returning from Sweden, I spent some years in Cuba before moving to Germany where I had played for three seasons. There is no doubt this has again given me the chance to meet several players with various styles. It is always good to test against other players to be able to assess yourself and continue to work hard on your weaknesses.” Jorge Campos
Eyes on ending the year in top 100, Jorge Campos is also looking forward to this year’s Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in which he is targeting to win a medal for Cuba.
“I am looking forward to the Pan-Am Games in Peru as this will give me the chance to prove what I can do.” Jorge Campos
Notably, Jorge Campos hopes to enroll in a college this September to pursue his education alongside playing table tennis.
“Table tennis has given me a lot of opportunities in life especially it has taken me to various countries and I have experienced different cultures. I have also made friends through the sport and this for me has been the icing on the cake.” Jorge Campos
