Olympics 2024: Table Tennis Stars Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra Begin Campaigns - Know All About Their Opponents

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Veteran Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra will lead the change as the Indian table tennis team begin their quest for a podium finish at the Paris Olympics 2024. Sharath Kamal who was India's flag bearer at the opening ceremony will begin his campaign against Deni Kozul.

The 26-year-old Slovenian table tennis player is currently ranked 126th in the ITTF World Rankings in the men's singles category. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Kozul participated in both the men's singles and men's doubles events but was eliminated in the first round by South Korean players.

His career highlights include a gold medal in Junior Doubles and a bronze in the Junior Team event at the 2015 European Youth Championship. He also secured a bronze medal in the men's team event at the 2016 European Championship and the 2017 European Membership Championship.

In 2017, he won a bronze medal in men's singles at the European U21 Championship. At the 2018 Mediterranean Games, Kozul achieved gold in the men's team event. His most recent accomplishment was leading the men's team to the Round of 16 at the 2024 World Team Championships.

Deni Kozul faced Sharath Kamal only once at WTT Feeder Budapest in July 2022. However, the Indian experienced paddler won by 4-1 (8-11, 11-1, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9).

Indian Table Tennis sensation, Manika Batra will begin her campaign against Anna Hursey. The 18-year-old Welsh table tennis player currently ranked 103rd in the ITTF standings, has made significant strides in her career.

In 2022, she became the first Welsh woman to win a Commonwealth Games table tennis medal by securing bronze in the women's doubles, although she and her team finished fourth in the team event.

Additionally, Hursey has an impressive history of achievements, including a bronze in the U15 Girls Doubles at the 2021 World Youth Championships and a silver in the U19 Girls Doubles at the 2023 World Youth Championships.

Hursey's historic Olympic qualification marks her as the first Welsh paddler to secure a spot for the Games, achieved through her outstanding performance at the European Qualification Tournament in May 2024.

Despite not having faced Manika Batra in singles, Hursey and her partner Liam Pitchford defeated Batra and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in mixed doubles at the WTT Lanzhou in October 2023. Her recent victories include winning the Women's Singles at the National Championships 2024 and the Women's Doubles at the WTT Feeder Manchester 2024.

India's young table tennis prodigy, Sreeja Akula however, will begin her campaign against Swedish paddler Christina Kallberg. The 24-year-old is ranked 58th in the world and aims to improve her Olympic performance after a first-round exit in Tokyo 2021.

She will draw inspiration from her victory over Sreeja Akula at the WTT Contender Rio in 2023, where she won 3-1 in the group stage.

Kallberg's impressive record includes titles at the Sweden Tour Opening Weekend 2020, Swedish National Championships 2022, and WTT Feeder Doha 2023. Despite recent challenges in singles, she has secured significant doubles titles, such as at WTT Tunis 2021 and WTT Feeder Doha 2023.

In contrast, Sreeja Akula, India's top female paddler, has had a stellar 2024 season, clinching three WTT titles. Their head-to-head record favors Kallberg, but Akula's current form poses a strong challenge.

Källberg secured her place in the Paris Olympics through the ITTF World Rankings, with Sweden being one of the four women's teams to qualify via the Road to Paris rankings​.

Lastly, after defeating Zaid Yaman in the prelims, Harmeet Desai will take on French youngster Felix Lebrun. Felix Lebrun hails from a family deeply rooted in table tennis, with his elder brother Alexis also part of the French team for the Paris Olympics.

His father and uncle have also represented France in the sport. Felix garnered attention by winning the men's singles gold at the European Games 2023, defeating Marcos Freitas in a thrilling seven-game final. He further established his prowess by securing the WTT Contender Antalya title the same year.

Felix's continued success saw him climb into the ITTF World Rankings' top ten by October 2023, and he achieved a career-best ranking of World No. 5 in March 2024. Notably, he won his second WTT singles title in Goa in 2024.

The French men's team, with Felix as a key member, reached the final of the World Team Championships in 2024, earning a silver medal after falling to China. Currently ranked World No. 5, Felix poses a significant threat to Harmeet Desai in their upcoming Round of 64 encounter.

Although they have never faced each other in singles, Felix's recent victories include titles at the European Games 2024 and WTT Star Contender Goa 2024. His Olympic berth came as part of the host nation's team, joining his brother Alexis and Simon Gauzy​.