We are looking at winning a medal in Tokyo, asserts G Sathiyan
Gnanasekaran Sathiyan revealed that the Indian table tennis contingent is aiming at winning a medal at the next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo. Sathiyan added that there is no off-season in table tennis as professional players are participating in competitive tournaments almost 365 days a year.
Following an impressive sixth-place finish in the Asia Cup in Yokohama earlier in April, Gnanasekaran Sathiyan became the first Indian table tennis player to break into the top 25 ITTF rankings. Recently, the 26-year-old also powered UTT franchise Dabang Delhi to the final of this year's tournament as they defeated U Mumba in a thrilling 8-7 semi-final win.
Talking to Sportstar in a recent interview, the Chennai-born athlete revealed that the Indian table tennis contingent are aiming at winning an Olympic medal at next year's Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
"With my current world rankings, qualifying (for Tokyo) should be easy. It should be a done thing. We are looking at winning a medal. It is a tough task. But past performances have given us confidence — the Asian Games medal, me finishing sixth in the Asia Cup and a good performance in the world championships in Halmstad.
"The qualifying process begins in January 2020 where the top 16 countries will make it. We will have to do well to qualify as a team. If we don’t, we have to do it in singles through the world rankings," Sathiyan said in an interview with Sportstar.
Sathiyan, who was a member of the Indian team that took the bronze in the 2011 Junior World Championships, further added that Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) will need to find dates for a national ranking calendar that won't clash with pro-tour events.
"Motivation is the only tricolour. To have the Olympic dream, that’s what drives us. WR is the sole criterion. Definitely, the International Table Tennis Federation is improving, but it has a very long way to go.
"There is no off-season in table tennis. We have been playing 365 days a year. Pro-tours, Ultimate TT league, Commonwealth and Asian Championships and official domestic tournaments. We’ve already spoken to the Table Tennis Federation of India and the Sports Authority of India. The TTFI has not been able to find dates for a national-ranking calendar which will not clash with a pro-tour event," Sathiyan added.
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