India has chance for medal in Olympics, says ace paddler

Ace table tennis player A Sharath Kamal, who starred in Chennai Lions' triumph in the UTT League recently, said on Monday that India had a chance of winning a medal at next year's Olympics in Tokyo.

"The focus now is on the Olympics next year and we have a chance of winning a medal in the doubles. A lot will depend on the draw," he said at a felicitation event for Chennai Lions here.

He recalled the memorable moments that defined his team's success journey.

Sharing his thoughts on India's medal-winning prospects at next year's Olympics, Sharath said table tennis in India is heading in the right direction.

A day after PV Sindhu emerged as the World Champion, Sharath said a similar effort from the TT contingent next year would go a long way towards popularising the sport.

Asked to point out the turning point, the ace paddler highlighted the team's come-from-behind win in the last four stage against Goa Challengers.

Sharath Kamal said he would be playing in the Asian Championship in Indonesia next month and then headingto China for a preparatory camp.

He said the main focus is on the team championship in January 2020 in Portugal, a qualifying event for the Olympics.

"There will be nine places to qualify right now we are at 8. We need to improve our ranking," he added.

About winning the UTT, Kamal said, "It's a great feeling winning the UTT. Our team went through lots of ups and downs For the first 2 seasons, I didn't even qualify for the playoffs."