Indian paddlers produced a brilliant show in the previous edition of the Commonwealth Games, winning eight medals in the nine events they were a part of. Leading the medal tally was Manika Batra, who became the first Indian to win a gold medal in women’s singles. The unit was equally good in the team events, with both men and women's team securing gold.
The show has been, if the not the same, but almost similar in most of the events held afterwards, which include the Asian Games held in Jakarta. G Sathiyan and Batra have also won the World Table Tennis title in mixed doubles, which saw them become the first Indian pair to achieve the feat at WTT Contender, Budapest in August 2021.
However, one event, where the table tennis team is still to leave a similar impression is the Olympics. Despite strong performances by Batra and veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, India failed to secure a single medal in the previous edition held at Tokyo. Sharing his views on the same Sathiyan, who will partner both in the Birmingham Games, during a virtual media meet last week said: "I think we have progressed quite a lot and expectations of Indian winning a medal in Olympics in table tennis itself I think it's a big improvement. I would say progression in the right direction. I think we have performed well in the Asian Games. There has been increased number of representation in Olympics going into third round and fourth round. Top 10 in the mixed doubles. So the progression has been in the right direction. I would say the day is not far we would break that barrier and bring home first Olympic medal in table tennis for sure."
Sathiyan will be competing in men's singles, doubles and mixed-doubles event in Birmingham. This will be his second appearance at the quadrennial event, having won all three gold, silver, and bronze in his maiden outing in Australia four years ago. While Sathiyan will try to emulate the show once again, his primary focus will be the singles event. "One of my primary goals in this Commonwealth Games is to win the medal in the individual event. The competition will be very hard, we have England’s Liam Pitchford, Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and a lot of good players. So my preparation has been really good this time around and for me it would be fantastic if I could bring home a medal, especially in the single event this time."
{{/usCountry}}Sathiyan will be competing in men's singles, doubles and mixed-doubles event in Birmingham. This will be his second appearance at the quadrennial event, having won all three gold, silver, and bronze in his maiden outing in Australia four years ago. While Sathiyan will try to emulate the show once again, his primary focus will be the singles event. "One of my primary goals in this Commonwealth Games is to win the medal in the individual event. The competition will be very hard, we have England’s Liam Pitchford, Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and a lot of good players. So my preparation has been really good this time around and for me it would be fantastic if I could bring home a medal, especially in the single event this time."
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Sathiyan also hailed Indian shuttlers for their inspirational show, stating badminton in particular has shown how to win medals in big events. “I would say table tennis has certainly been one of the most improved sport in the last few years. The performance in the world level has been great. I think badminton has shown us the way of winning medals in the big ticket events,” he said while sharing his thoughts on the growth of racket sports in India.
Watch the LIVE coverage of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on SONY SIX, SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 4 (English) & SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) channels starting from 28th July 2022 at 11:30 pm IST.