Table Tennis: Manika Batra-Sathiyan Gnanasekaran miss out on 2024 Paris Olympics qualification

The Indian table tennis pair of Manika Batra and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran failed to earn 2024 Paris Olympics quota place at the World Mixed Doubles Olympic Qualifiers in Havirov, Czech Republic on Friday.

Batra and Gnanasekaran, ranked 18th in the world, crashed out in the second stage of the tournament following a 1-4 loss to Malaysia’s Javen Choong and Karen Lyne in the quarter-finals.

The Indians, who had received a first-round bye in the 24-team event, failed to hold their nerves as they went down 9-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8 in the final eight stage.

Choong-Lyne, who are currently ranked 153 in the world, had also registered an upset win over Batra-Gnanasekaran in the quarter-finals of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.

The loss for Batra and Gnanasekaran means that India will have no representation in mixed doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, both the Indian men’s and women’s team have qualified for the quadrennial event.

#TableTennis

Manika Batra/Sathiyan Gnanasekaran KNOCKED OUT????

No 2024 Paris Olympics quota in mixed doubles for India as the world No 18 pair goes down 9-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11 to Malaysia's Javen Choong and Karen Lyne.

????: Olympic Channel/Screengrab pic.twitter.com/xHe1C7pvel— The Field (@thefield_in) April 12, 2024

Earlier on Thursday, Batra and Gnansekaran had lost in the quarter-finals of the first stage of...

Read more