Doha: The seasoned Achanta Sharath Kamal became Thursday the first Indian paddler to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Sharath Kamal achieved the distinction after a dominant win over Pakistan’s Muhammad Rameez at the Asian Olympic Qualification tournament here. The veteran Indian thrashed Rameez 11-4, 11-1, 11-5, 11-4 in little over 22 minutes in the second men’s singles round-robin match.
India’s second-highest-ranked female player Sutirtha Mukherjee also qualified for the Games. She defeated her compatriot and top-ranked Indian in the event 4-2 (7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 4-11, 11-5, 11-4).
Manika despite her defeat against Sutirtha, is also set to make the cut because of her ranking.
Kamal had lost his opening match 9-11, 13-15, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10, 9-11, 8-11 to compatriot Gnansekaran Sathiyan. The win over Rameez ensured at least a second-place finish for Kamal. It was enough to secure a spot in the delayed Games, scheduled to begin in July.
One quota is awarded to the highest-ranked second-placed player in the event. Sharath being the top-ranked player in his group, secured the berth under the Asian quota. It will be Kamal’s fourth appearance at the Olympic Games.
“It was a good match against Sathiyan but I made some errors and he capitalised on them to win the match. I was a bit nervous before playing against Rameez as I had never faced him before. But after the first few games I was confident that my strategy was working. I executed it well to maintain control,” Sharath pointed out.
Looking to secure double qualification, Sharath also cruised into the semifinals in the mixed doubles with Manika Batra. The pair defeated Mohammed Abdulwahhab and Maha Faramarzi of Qatar 11-6, 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 in the quarters.