Indian men’s and women’s table tennis teams created history by qualifying for team events at the upcoming Paris Olympics. While they couldn’t make the cut from the World Championships, it is their world rankings that helped them clinch the spots for the first time in Olympics. While the men’s team is currently ranked 15th, the women are on 13th spot. A total of 16 teams will be taking part in the men’s and women’s events respectively.
Sharath Kamal, who has represented India at four Olympic Games, was ecstatic about India’s qualification. “It is a surreal moment, as we will be competing for the first time in the team event at the Olympics. On a personal front, this is a significant achievement for me as this will be my final appearance. I have played in the singles event four times, but have always wanted to qualify in the team event (which was introduced in Beijing in 2008). For the last two years, my focus has been solely on contributing to the team’s qualification and we have finally done it. Moreover, winning a tie in the Olympics would mean that we will move into the quarterfinals and that in itself will be a huge achievement for Indian TT,” Sharath said.
