The Indian men’s table tennis team concluded their campaign at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, facing a 3-0 defeat against China in the round of 16 match. The team comprised Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar.
In the first match of the tie, Desai and Thakkar lost 0-3 (2-11, 3-11, 7-11) to the formidable Chinese duo of Ma Long and Wang Chuqin. Sharath Kamal, despite an early lead, was overcome by Paris 2024 singles gold medalist Fan Zhendong, who secured a 3-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5) victory in the second match. In the final match, Manav Thakkar was unable to match Wang Chuqin’s prowess, losing 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-9).
This defeat marks the end of the Indian men’s table tennis campaign at the Paris Olympics.
In contrast, the Indian women’s table tennis team made history by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. On Monday, the trio of Sreeja Akula, Archana Kamath, and Manika Batra triumphed over Romania with a 3-2 victory. Playing at the South Paris Arena, Akula and Kamath secured the first two matches 3-0 each. Despite a strong comeback from Romania in the singles matches, which leveled the score at 2-2, Manika Batra clinched the deciding match with a 3-0 win against Adina Diaconu.
This marks India’s inaugural participation in both men’s and women’s table tennis team events at the Olympics since their introduction in the Beijing 2008 Olympic program.
