All posts tagged: Paddler

Gurumurthy N, who once coached future Olympic paddler, now drives an auto

Gurumurthy N, who once coached future Olympic paddler, now drives an auto

Published by Webster

In what can only be described as yet another ‘Peak Bengaluru moment’ to go with several that the city keeps producing, an auto driver was pictured displaying a signage which stated that he was “a professional table-tennis coach.” A post on Wednesday morning from a Bengaluru-based Human Resources professional has since garnered eyeballs. As it turns out, Gurumurthy N, the auto driver, is a former table tennis player and a certified coach, with a LinkedIn page to boot. A certified coach “I have coached the Olympian Archana Kamath when she was a member of the U14 Karnataka team in 2012,” Gurumurthy N tells The Bridge in a telephonic conversation. Having watched his uncle, a coach, play the sport, Gurumurthy picked up the paddle as an 8-year-old. While he did play tournaments across the state, he found his calling in coaching and made a swift transition. Thereafter, armed with an ITTF Level-1 and 2 coaching certifications, he found a coaching job at Tenvic Sports, a company founded by the former Indian cricket captain Anil Kumble. After …

Veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal set to retire

Veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal set to retire

Published by Webster

Indian veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal revealed on Wednesday that he plans to retire from the professional circuit after the upcoming WTT Star Contender 2025 in Chennai. Sharath will end his illustrious 26-year career with one final competition on his home turf, at Chennai’s first-ever WTT Star Contender event, scheduled to start on March 25th. In doing so, he will be drawing the curtains on what has been a remarkable journey. The 42-year-old is currently the top-ranked Indian male paddler in the singles and will compete for a professional title for one last time in front of the home crowd. “I played my first international tournament in Chennai, and now I will play my last international tournament also in Chennai, so this (WTT Star Contender Chennai) will be by last international tournament,” Sharath said, at the press conference. He did subsequently provide more than just a hint of his continued association with the sport after hanging up his boots. “We will be looking forward to setting up a high-performance center here in Chennai and hopefully …

How paddler Jash Modi fought back to win National Games gold

How paddler Jash Modi fought back to win National Games gold

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Trailing 0-2 in a Gold medal match against Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, a seasoned professional, is bound to unnerve any player. But Maharashtra’s Jash Modi wasn’t throwing in the towel just yet. Instead, he scripted a remarkable turnaround and eventually stunned the Tamil Nadu paddler 4-3 to bag gold at the 2025 National Games in men’s singles Table Tennis on Thursday at Uttarakhand. “The first two sets didn’t go my way, and I knew something had to change,” said the 19-year-old prodigy to The Bridge over the telephone. And it is this mindset that has the captured the attention of the country’s table tennis connoisseurs. A desire to win Hailing from Mumbai, Jash has rapidly ascended the ranks of Indian table tennis. His journey in the sport began at the age of 8. “I used to accompany my dad (Amit Modi) to his Table Tennis practice sessions and that’s how I got into the game. In my first tournament ever, I won the bronze medal which gave me the boost to train further,” he recalled. Jash’s nascent …

Mizo Paddler Lalrin Puia wins silver at US Open after 4 years in jail

Mizo Paddler Lalrin Puia wins silver at US Open after 4 years in jail

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Mizo table tennis player Lalrin Puia Lalchhuankima has made a remarkable comeback, winning a silver medal in the hardbat doubles category at the US Open Championships in Las Vegas. The 26-year-old’s victory comes after spending four years in jail on drug charges, from which he was acquitted in 2022. Lalrin was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) at Mumbai airport in December 2017 for allegedly carrying 3.9 kg of methaqualone, a banned psychotropic substance. He maintained his innocence throughout, claiming he was framed by drug smugglers. A special court acquitted him after discrepancies in the evidence cast doubt on the case, including conflicting flight numbers and baggage ownership details. Despite losing critical years of his career, Lalrin did not give up on his passion for table tennis. While in prison, he used makeshift equipment to stay fit. Upon his release, he resumed training and joined the India Community Centre in Milpitas, California, earlier this year. Partnering with Ishaan Hingorani, Lalrin reached the finals of the US Open hardbat doubles event before settling for silver. …

Paddler Manika Batra Reaches Career-High Ranking Of World No 24

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File image of Manika Batra© X (Twitter) Ace women’s table tennis player Manika Batra rose to a career-best singles ranking of 24 following her success in the Saudi Smash, becoming the first Indian woman paddler to break into the top-25 in world rankings. The 28-year-old Khel Ratna awardee, who was in 39th spot before the tournament, jumped 15 spots following her run in Jeddah, where she reached the quarterfinals. Manika, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist in individual and team categories, had shocked multiple-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist China’s Wang Manyu (seeded second) on her way to the last-eight in the Saudi Smash. It was also the first time an Indian women player advanced that far in the tournament. Manika’s rise through the draw finally earned her 350 points. In an Instagram post, Manika, who had made history by becoming the first Indian paddler to reach the women’s singles quarterfinals at the Hangzhou last year, wrote that the ranking boost had come at the right time as she aims to secure a Paris …

Sreeja Akula surpasses Manika Batra to become India’s no.1 paddler

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Sreeja Akula has overtaken Manika Batra in the latest world rankings to become India’s number one paddler in the women’s singles category for the first time ever on Tuesday. Sreeja achieved a new career-high world ranking of 38 after jumping up one position while Manika who was leading the Indian ranks for the last six years slipped two places to be ranked 39th in the world. Sreeja had a tremendous year in 2024 at the World Table Tennis tournament, which included two titles at feeder tournaments, WTT Feeder Corpus Christi and WTT Feeder Beirut II 2024. Meanwhile, Manika whose main focus was on mixed doubles for the last few months hadn’t played feeder tournaments and hence lost quite a lot of ranking points. Both of the Indian players are now focusing on the second smash tournament of the year, the Saudi Smash from 1-11 May in Saudi Arabia. The tournament will offer a lot of ranking points hence both of them will try to make full use of this top-tier tournament. Sreeja Akula becomes India …

‘I focus on match rather that caliber of opponent’- Paddler Sreeja Akula

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Indian table tennis star Sreeja Akula has started 2024 brilliantly with her first international title win and has entered the top 50 world rankings for the first time in her career. Sreeja won the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi 2024 and put on a strong show at the WTT Star Contender Goa in front of the home crowd. “I always wanted to do well in the international circuit and finally in 2024, I am doing that. I started the year on a high note and am very happy with my performance, this will boost my confidence for the coming tournaments,” Sreeja told The Bridge in an exclusive interview. On her way to the first international title and a good show in Goa, Sreeja defeated many higher-ranked players including three-time Olympian Lily Zhang in the final of WTT Corpus Christi. “I never think about player’s caliber whenever I play a high-profile player, I just want to focus on my play and give my best in that particular match,” said Sreeja. Sreeja, who is supported by the Dream …