Date:08/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/08/stories/2008030859802500.htm

Sport - Table Tennis

Sharath, Neha qualify for Beijing Games

NEW DELHI: National champion A. Sharath Kamal and Neha Aggarwal have qualified for the Beijing Olympics by taking the lone South Asian berths in the men’s and women’s singles up for grabs in the 2008 Asian Olympic table tennis qualification tournament at the Shek Kip Mei Park Sports Centre, Hong Kong.

According to Table Tennis Federation of India’s Technical Committee Chairman Dhan Raj Chowdhury here on Friday, Sharath was among the 12 qualifiers, three from each of the four groups, to advance to the knockout stage.

In the second stage league, Sharath won two matches and lost as many to emerge as the best performer from the South Asian region.

In the first stage, Sharath finished second to Chinese Taipei’s Chiang Peng Lung in Group ‘D’.

In the league, Sharath defeated Mongolia’s Zprogt Turbold 4-1, Iran’s Mehran Ahadi 4-0 and Korea’s Kim Hyok Bong 4-2.

Sharath’s losses came against Thailand’s Phuchong Sanguansin 2-4 and group winner Chiang Peng Lung 3-4.

In fact, Sharath led Lung 3-2 at one stage but lost the last two games 9-11, 9-11.

Subhajit Saha and Soumyadeep Roy were the other Indians in the fray.

Saha was third in the five-player Group ‘B’ while Roy finished last in the five-man Group ‘A’.

Among the women, the three Indians in the fray — Poulomi Ghatak, Mouma Das and Neha Aggarwal — failed to progress beyond the first stage league.

Thereafter, there was a competition to fill the lone spot from the South Asian region in which Neha emerged the strongest.