Tokyo Olympics: 5 most experienced Indian athletes going to the Games

#1 Achanta Sharath Kamal (Table Tennis)

Sharath Kamal in action during the 2016 Rio Olympics

Sharath Kamal has been the poster boy of Indian table tennis for several years, with him reaching unprecedented heights of success at the international level.

He is going strong at the age of 38 and the Chennai-based paddler will make his fourth appearance at the Olympics next month, making him one of the most experienced athletes going to Tokyo.

In fact, his debut at the mega-event was back in Athens. After an inspiring opening-round win over Algeria’s Mohamed Boudjadja, he was shown the door by Hong Kong’s Ko Lai-chak in the succeeding fixture of the men’s singles event.

A change of venue failed to change the outcome, as Sharath succumbed to a second-round defeat at the hands of Austria’s Chen Weixing in Beijing 2008. The nine-time national champion, however, failed to secure a berth at the 2012 London Olympics.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sharath was drawn against Romanian legend Adrian Crisan, who outclassed the Indian with a set score of 1-4. The men's singles and mixed doubles in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics could well be his final appearance at the quadrennial event.