National Games: Mumbai Teen Modi Shocks Sathiyan
1 month ago | 5 Views
Mumbai: Mumbai's 19-year-old table tennis player Jash Modi believes he possesses a more impressive collection of medals than just a National Games gold in singles; however, the victory that earned him this title stands as the most significant achievement of his career to date.
This is primarily due to his triumph over G Sathiyan, a Tokyo Olympian and former top 25 player in the world, in the men's singles final, which took place in Dehradun on Thursday. The championship match was fiercely contested, with Modi demonstrating remarkable composure to recover from a two-game deficit and a setback in the sixth game, ultimately securing a 4-3 victory (7-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 14-12, 6-11, 11-6) against his experienced rival.
“This is the most significant win of my career, simply because Sathiyan was my opponent,” Modi stated. “I was tactically well-prepared. He faced considerable pressure as I was the underdog, and that contributed to my success.”
The young athlete, who was part of India's U-19 bronze medal-winning team at the 2024 Asian Youth TT Championship, had previously earned two bronze medals at the last National Games held in Goa (in team and mixed doubles). This gold medal, however, marks his first major victory since transitioning from the youth to the senior circuit last year.
“This victory will greatly enhance my confidence, especially since I have only recently moved up to the senior level. I have made significant physical improvements over the past few years, and this will motivate me to continue advancing,” he remarked.
Modi began his table tennis journey in Mumbai, initially receiving coaching from his father, Amit. For the past four years, he has been training under coach Sanmay Paranjape in Pune. The young player aspires to compete on the WTT circuit soon, although he currently lacks the financial resources to travel for such events.
“I receive some financial assistance from GAIL, but I do not have sponsors. Competing in WTT events independently is challenging. Therefore, my immediate focus is on performing well at the domestic level, with the hope of securing support to advance from there,” he explained.
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