Watch: Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath train for doubles under coach Massimo ahead of Paris Olympics
With India poised to debut in the Olympic table tennis team event, the expectations are creeping higher and the preparations are growing intense. In a video on social media, India's No.1 paddler Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath could be spotted sparring against head coach Massimo Constantini to prepare for doubles.
Sreeja, 25, alongside Manika Batra and Kamath, who piped Ayhika Mukherjee with a higher world rank to book an Olympic berth, form India's contingent for the women's team event in the Paris Olympics.
Team matches will consist of four singles matches and one doubles match, each played in a best-of-five format.
Likely to be the doubles pairing for India in the Olympics, Sreeja combined with her teammate Kamath to thrash compatriots Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 12-10) in the WTT Contender in Lagos women’s doubles final earlier this year. Under Constantini's guidance, the duo will be hoping to guide the country to Olympic glory in the team event in their debut appearance.
India's Paris-bound table tennis contingent trained for weeks in Saarbrucken, Germany before heading to the host nation on July 21. While Sreeja, Manika, and Archana comprise the women's team, the men's contingent, spearheaded by Sharath Kamal, will have Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar as the remaining members.
Schedule for India's table tennis events in the Paris Olympics
The table tennis competitions in the Paris Olympics will span from July 27 to August 10. The singles events will kick off the tournament, with the women’s final scheduled for August 3 and the men’s final for August 4.
The week after, the focus will be shifted to the team events, culminating in the men's medal matches on August 9 and the women's medal matches on August 10. All the matches will be played at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.