“I can definitely say that we can come up with a big surprise” - Indian table tennis team head coach Massimo Costantini ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
Indian table tennis team’s head coach Massimo Costantini sounded confident that the Indian players could sprint a few surprises in both the team and individual events at the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024. Notably, Indian men’s and women’s teams qualified for the team event for the first time in the history of the Games.
Costantini has been drafted into the roster to guide the Indian paddlers on the biggest stage in Paris. This will be the third time Costantini will be associating with the Indian national team since his first visit to India in 2009. Under his coaching, India secured a record number of eight medals, including three gold at the CWG in 2018 and two bronze medals at the Asian Games in 2018.
“Qualifying for the team events is already an achievement because just 16 teams from across the world get to represent at the Olympics. It is difficult to say whether we will win a medal but I can definitely say that we can come up with a big surprise. There have been enough signals in the past six months that even teams like China are worried about playing against India early in the competition,” Massimo Costantini stated during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis.
The Indian women’s team stunned Chinese paddlers at the World Team Table Tennis Championships 2024 in Busan. Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula steamrolled the World No. 1 and World No. 2 players Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi, respectively, despite the team suffering a 2-3 loss.
The Paris Olympics 2024 is scheduled to start on July 26 and will conclude on August 11.
Massimo Costantini opens up on the crucial role played by Ultimate Table Tennis
Massimo Costantini’s second stint with the Indian team saw the country win two bronze medals at the Asian Games in 2018. He has been closely following the Indian table tennis’ growth over the years and has impressive coordination with the Indian squad. He stated that the inception of Ultimate Table Tennis has been a game changer.
“UTT has provided Indian players an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience. The combination of having international coaches working with Indian coaches along with youth development programs has ensured that Indian players are ready to take on the best in the world,” he said.
Massimo Costantini also emphasized that he is currently working on assessing the level at which the paddlers are competing and also preparing the doubles combinations for the team championships as the Indian contingent is competing at various WTT events across the globe.