GSTTA president Vipul Mittra congratulates Indian team on historic bronze

GANDHIDHAM, Oct. 10: Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) president Vipul Mittra congratulated the Indian team on their historic bronze medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championships being played in Al Masrouhiya, Qatar.
Though the fourth-seeded Indian men’s team suffered a humbling 0-3 semi-final loss against the top seed South Koreans, they did enough to ensure the country won its first-ever medal in the Championship.
“This is a historic medal for the country and our table tennis players have made us proud once again. The medal speaks volumes about the impressive show from our players in recent times. The medal, I am sure, will inspire others and will give a boost to the game in the country,” Mr Mittra, IAS, said.
“It is a proud moment for Gujarat too as two of our players, Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar, are part of this history-making team. I think the tournament will be a big experience for them and will boost their confidence ahead of challenges ahead,” Mr Mittra added.
At the Lusail Multipurpose Hall, the spirited Indian found the clinical South Koreans too hot to handle.
World No. 38 Sathiyan Gnanasekaran found the going tough against World No. 12 Woojin Jang before suffering an 11-5, 10-12, 11-8, 11-5 loss.
World No. 33 Achanta Sharath Kamal will be disappointed at himself as he squandered his 2-1 lead to suffer an 11-7, 13-15, 11-8, 6-11, 9-11 loss to World No. 22 Lee Sangsu.
It was a similar fate for World No. 72 Harmeet who suffered a heartbreaking 4-11, 11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-13 loss against World No. 77 Seungmin Cho that settled the fate of the match.
On Wednesday, September 29, the Indian men’s team assured themselves of a medal when they beat Iran 3-1 in the quarters.
Written by : Pranjal Protim Boruah