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Early Olympic berths huge boost for Indian table tennis
The men's and women's teams securing their spots through world rankings were confirmed on Monday. It also provides at least two singles spots in Paris.
On February 21 when India's campaign at the World Team Table Tennis Championships ended, they could all smile quietly. On March 4 when India's spot at the Paris Olympics was officially announced, they could say it openly.
A historic number of Indian paddlers will earn the Olympian tag come the Games in July-August. For, both the men’s and women’s teams officially secured quotas through world rankings on Monday after their respective pre-quarterfinal finishes at the team Worlds. No Indian team, let alone both, had qualified for the Olympics since the team events were introduced at 2008 Beijing.
In Beijing, Indian table tennis’ representation was confined to one men’s singles and women’s singles player each. In Paris, six quotas have been secured — the team quota also brings along two spots in the singles events — with scope for more. In a sport headlined more by off-field issues (federation suspension, selection drama, court cases) in recent times, this comes as the most significant cause for cheer.
Sharath Kamal, who was there in Beijing and will now gear up for Paris, called it a “fantastic situation for Indian table tennis”.
"Last couple of years, the sport has been brought down by controversies. At the end of the day, when the racquet does the talking, that is the best part,” Sharath, 41, said. “It’s good for the entire TT community that the sport is back on the right track. And hopefully we can go beyond just qualification. If we win a match at the Olympics, we make the quarters. That’s among the best eight teams in the world.”
Indian teams were among the best 16 in the team Worlds in Busan last month, a finish that ensured they would sneak into the Olympics through the rankings route. The tournament showcased the depth and potential Indian TT currently possesses (and the work that still needs to be done to improve among the world’s strongest teams).
Two of the most remarkable victories — against the world No.1 and 2 Chinese — were scripted by Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula while Manika Batra, India’s top-ranked paddler and a consistent face in the top 50 rankings, continued to do her thing in leading a promising and dangerous women’s pack. The men's unit comprised Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar, who have overtaken Sharath and G Sathiyan in the rankings even as the experienced 2022 Commonwealth Games singles medallists are still around for a fight.
“I’m really happy with how we performed against each team at the Worlds,” Manika said. “These matches will help us in the Olympics. We will go in with a lot of self-belief that we can do something there, we can win against great players. We will be prepared well for the Olympics.”
Booking the Olympics ticket with more than four months to go is a big bonus, which players can utilise by charting preparation plans.
“For the first time, I am getting around five months’ prior notice that I'm going. Most times, it would be 1-2 months. It’s a new situation for me too,"Sharath chuckled. “You end up spending all energy trying to qualify rather than doing well there. Now, we can plan well and focus on just preparing for it. I will now give everything to put my best foot forward there and give the Olympics one big goodbye.”
"It was very important to qualify early, because now we can plan our training accordingly," Sreeja said. "I'll focus more on my training over the next few months. I'll also play tournaments to try and improve my world ranking, but yes, my coach and I will work a lot on improving my skills."
Teams would be announced well in advance so that the players can be mentally prepared, Table Tennis Federation of India secretary general Kamlesh Mehta said. A roadmap of players participating in WTT events to protect their rankings (and thereby ensure a better seeding at the Olympics) and training camps in India and abroad will be worked out. According to PTI, talks to hire a foreign head coach for the teams are on.
“The time factor is crucial, and we have already started working on plans," Mehta said. “The fact that not only one but both teams have qualified for the first time is a significant achievement. It’s a very big day for Indian table tennis.”
