Sreeja Akula and Manika Batra Lead Indian Table Tennis Team at Paris 2024 Olympics
Sreeja Akula and Manika Batra are the highest-seeded Indian players at the Paris 2024 Olympics table tennis tournament, which begins on July 27. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) revealed the seedings, with Sreeja ranked 16th and Manika 18th.
Last month, Sreeja Akula reached a career-best No. 24 in the world rankings, becoming India’s top women’s singles player. The 25-year-old, a two-time national champion, won a WTT Contender singles title in Lagos in June and also secured the doubles title with Archana Kamath.
Manika Batra, ranked 28th in the world, is a former Commonwealth Games champion. She made history by reaching the Saudi Smash women’s singles quarterfinal in May, becoming the first Indian to reach the last eight of a WTT Grand Smash event. Paris 2024 will be her third Olympic appearance.
Sharath Kamal, a two-time Commonwealth Games men’s singles champion, is set for his fifth Olympic appearance, seeded 24th. National champion Harmeet Desai, ranked 86th, is seeded 49th and will make his Olympic debut.
India will debut in the team events at Paris 2024, with the men’s team seeded 14th and the women’s team 11th. The team events were introduced at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. All six Indian players qualified via their world rankings. The tournament will be held at South Paris Arena from July 27 to August 10.
Doubts Revealed
Sreeja Akula -: Sreeja Akula is an Indian table tennis player who is currently ranked as the top women’s singles player in India.
Manika Batra -: Manika Batra is another Indian table tennis player who has won a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games and is ranked 18th in the world.
Paris 2024 Olympics -: The Paris 2024 Olympics is a big sports event where athletes from all over the world compete in various sports, and it will be held in Paris, France in 2024.
Table Tennis -: Table tennis is a sport where players hit a small ball back and forth across a table using small paddles.
Top-seeded -: Top-seeded means that Sreeja Akula and Manika Batra are considered among the best players in the tournament.
Commonwealth Games -: The Commonwealth Games is a sports event where athletes from countries that were once part of the British Empire compete.
Sharath Kamal -: Sharath Kamal is an experienced Indian table tennis player who will compete in the men’s singles event.
Harmeet Desai -: Harmeet Desai is another Indian table tennis player who will also compete in the men’s singles event.
Team events -: Team events in table tennis involve groups of players from the same country competing together against other countries.
South Paris Arena -: South Paris Arena is the place in Paris where the table tennis matches will be held during the Olympics.