Harmeet, Manav, Manush in Target Olympics Podium Scheme

Gandhidham, Aug.7: Table Tennis players once again did the state proud when 3 out of 4 male paddlers selected for the Target Olympics Podium Scheme(TOPS) are Gujaratis. Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah are among four male TT players selected in the Sports Ministry’s scheme. Soumyajit Ghosh is the fourth paddler.
Surat-based Harmeet and Manav have displayed their talent and class at various competitions in last 24 months. Harmeet was part of bronze medal winning team at Asian Games in Jakarta and bagged team and individual gold at Commonwealth TT championships. On the other hand, Manav conquered summit position in U-21 world rankings. He also gained valuable experience by being part for team at Jakarta Asian Games.

Dynamic left-hander from Vadodara, Manush displayed his promise with a grand double at Khelo India in Pune. He also led Gujarat senior and Junior Teams to podium in the National Games.

Gujarat State Table Tennis Association President Shri Vipul Mittra, IAS, congratulated all the three players for their achievements and described the selection as reward for their determination and dedication.

“These players have raised the performance and expectations bar. They will have to grab this opportunity with both hands and make not only Gujarat but nation proud with their performances,” said Mittra.

The central government launched Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) for country’s promising junior athletes with an aim to groom young talents for medal glory at 2024 and 2028 Olympics.

Sports Authority of India’s ‘Mission Olympic Cell’ (MOC) has shortlisted 258 athletes in 12 sporting disciplines for Target Olympics Podium Scheme(TOPS) Junior, including the 85 selected before the lockdown, who will be part of the ‘Developmental Group’. The selected athletes will receive a monthly ‘Out Of Pocket’ allowance of Rs 25,000. Of the 12 disciplines, 70 athletes have been shortlisted.