We can expect an Olympic medal for sure, asserts G Sathiyan
Leading Indian paddlers G Sathiyan and Manika Batra are confident that an Olympic medal is on the horizon for India at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. The top-ranked Indian men's player added that India can provide tough competition for the likes of China, Singapore and South Korea.
The Indian table tennis team have been at their very best in the last couple of years ever since their impressive display at the 2018 Gold Coast CWG last year. They backed that up with another promising show at the Asian Games in Jakarta which was an indication of the progress made by the squad in a matter of months. Sathiyan, who was a member of the Indian team that took the bronze in the 2011 Junior World Championships, is confident that his teammates can bring home a medal from the next year's Olympics in Tokyo.Â
"(We can expect) a medal for sure. People didn't expect us to win an Asian Games medal and Asian Games is as good as the Olympics. We beat Japan, who were the silver medallists in the last Olympics. And if people still don't believe we can get an Olympic medal, then I don't think it's the right way to think or approach. We have a very strong chance of winning an Olympic medal qualify," Sathiyan was quoted as saying by TOO sources.Â
Meanwhile, Batra further backed herself and Indian great Sharath Kamal to have a decent outing with the Indian table tennis contingent at the Tokyo 2020 Games.Â
"We have a good chance in mixed doubles - Sharath (Kamal) and I. We will work hard for that. Qualification is really tough. All the Indian players are playing better than they were in 2016. I will not put pressure on myself in Tokyo. I am aiming for 2024. But yes, I will play to my best if I'll qualify," Batra told TOI.Â
Sathiyan, who is India's top-ranked men's singles player, further added that India can provide tough competition to rivals - China, Singapore, and South Korea - despite the infrastructural gap with these nations.Â
"We have started beating the Chinese. We have started doing things on our own. Besides sports, Chinese are better than us in many other areas too! They have a huge infrastructure with every city having proper coaches, a syllabus for four years. That's how the grassroots system works. India is very new to the sports ecosystem right now. Like Bindra sir (Abhinav) said, 'Olympic is played every day and not just once in four years'. That's the main concept we follow," Sathiyan added.Â
