Surat-based paddler Manav is u-21 men’s world No.1

Surat-based Manav Thakkar added one more First to his ever growing cabinet to begin the New Year 2020 with a bang. The Surti was crowned Under-21 Men’s No.1 in the latest world rankings announced by the International Table Tennis Federation.

Two years ago, in 2018, Manav had climbed to No.1 position in the U-18 section.

In the latest rankings, Manav with 6780 points pipped his nearest French rival Rembert Bastien (6510) by over 250 points.

Interestingly, last month, in December, n December, Manav had dropped to 10th from 3rd in the ranking list.

The gritty customer was undeterred and continued his relentless effort for the success. In the second week of December 2019, Manav bagged the prestigious U-21 men’s singles title at the ITTF Challenge Plus Benemax-Virgo North American Open in Canada. There demonstrating his skills Manav beat Argentina’s Martin Bentancor in straight games in the title round.

“I am really happy and delighted to be No.1. A big moment of my career. Canada win was a huge booster, it gave me lot of confidence. I got valuable guidance from Sharath Kamal,” said Manav.

Congratulating Manav on his latest achievement, Shri Vipul Mittra, IAS, president Gujarat State Table Tennis Association said, “Manav’s journey to the top of U-21 ranking in the world is about learning, hard work, persistence, sacrifice and above all passion. GSTTA is proud of it’s young achiever.”