Formernational table tennis champion Manmeet Singh Walia, who was suffering from rareALS disease for nearly two years, passed away in Montreal, Canada.
Manmeet was 58 and is survived by his wife andtwo daughters. He succumbed to the disease on Monday.
Manmeetwas suffering from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a disease that causesmotor neuron degeneration, leading to voluntary muscle impairment.
He had visited his doctors in Coimbatore also, trying to seekadvice and find a cure.
One of the finest and consistent performers in the '80s,Manmeet became the national champion in 1989 when he beat S Sriram in the men'ssingles final in Hyderabad.
He had represented the country at multiple internationalevents after making his debut at the Asian Championships in 1980 along witheight-time national champion Kamlesh Mehta.
The Indian squad then, comprising Manjeet Singh Dua, KamleshMehta, B. Arun Kumar, Manmeet and V. Chandrasekhar, led 4-2 before losing 4-5to North Korea.
Manmeet's two crucial wins included beating then World numbersix Jo Young Ho, their top player, and another player who was World No. 13.Manmeet was all of just 18 then.
TTFI Secretary General M.P. Singh, condoling his death, saidit was a sad moment for the entire table tennis fraternity.
"I have interacted with him as a player during myplaying days as well as in recent times when he came to Delhi a couple of yearsago. I have lost a good friend," he said.
