2021 Tokyo Olympics | Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra receive official confirmation as Olympic entrants
Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra will also take part in the mixed doubles event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics
|Indian Table Tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra received official confirmation of their participation in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, based on the latest listings in the world rankings. The quadrennial event is all set to kick start on July 23 and will conclude on August 8.
Four Indian Table Tennis players - Gnansekaran Sathiyan, Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra and Sutirtha Mukherjee had already qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, by virtue of their performances in the Asian Olympic Qualification Event, in Doha. But, the confirmations for both Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra were not confirmed with the final spot in each Asian region set to go to the highest-ranked runner-up in the Asian Qualifiers.
On Friday, the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) stated that the India duo would join Gnansekaran Sathiyan and Sutirtha Mukherjee to form the four-team Table Tennis contingent for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra will also team up for the mixed doubles event in Tokyo.
“Upon the issue of the April 2021 Olympic Rankings, the respective places are secured by India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta and Manika Batra; they join colleagues Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Sutirtha Mukherjee on the Tokyo list, the players against whom they experienced defeat in Doha,” read a statement from ITTF.
This will be Sharath Kamal’s fourth appearance at the Olympics, with him qualifying for the first time during the 2004 Athens Games. The Chennai-based paddler took to Twitter to announce his entry into the latest edition of the quadrennial event that kick-off July 23, later this year.
Official confirmation of qualification in the Men’s Singles event for the @Tokyo2020 Olympic Games with the most recent rankings released by @ittfworld. Happy to rise a couple of places to 30th. pic.twitter.com/dcAjGRyQim
— Sharath Kamal OLY (@sharathkamal1) April 3, 2021
