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Ace Indian paddler Harmeet Desai is confident of giving a tough fight to the opposition teams at the Paris Olympics, scheduled to start on Friday, July 26 in the French capital. He also emphasized that the team had a good amount of time for training before the start of the campaign.
The Indian men’s and women’s table tennis teams scripted history after qualifying for the Summer Games for the first time. The contingent had preparatory camps in Bengaluru and Saarbrucken, Germany, before moving to Paris.
“On a given day, I think we really have a very good chance of beating any team. We have won against top teams in the world in the past and it is possible this time also if we give our best. In the Olympics, if all three of us can put on the best show then anything is possible,” Harmeet Desai told Ultimate Table Tennis in an interview.
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“UTT has helped us get more experience and exposure” - Harmeet Desai
Having played a pivotal role in propelling India to clinch gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and 2022, Harmeet Desai will be a part of the Indian men’s team with Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran at Paris 2024. Additionally, he will also be taking part in individual events.
Desai emphasized that the launch of Ultimate Table Tennis in 2017 helped players gain more experience and exposure to play against international players, which was not the case before the start of the league.
“UTT has helped us get more experience and exposure to play with international players and get guidance from foreign coaches. That was not the case before 2017. So, this kind of experience has helped the players get more self-belief and perform well in the international arena,” he added.
The Indian men’s table tennis team will compete with China in the opening round of Paris 2024 while the women’s side will lock horns with Romania. Individual events are scheduled to take place from July 27 to August 4 while team events are scheduled from August 5 to 10.
After the conclusion of the Paris Olympics 2024, UTT 2024 to be held in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.
