India’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony and veteran Table Tennis star Sharath Kamal kicked off his Paris Olympics 2024 campaign with a 12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8 & 10-12 loss against Deni Kozul of Slovenia. Kamal, at the age of 42, is playing in his fifth and final Summer Games and has been in incredible form through 2024 with a medal at the Singapore Smash.
Coming to the South Paris Arena 4, Kamal started well as he built on his previous 4-1 at the WTT Feeder Budapest in 2022 over Kozul and clinched Game 1 with a 12-10 margin. But then the Slovenian paddler came back to clinch Game 2 11-9 before taking a massive 8-2 lead in Game 3 which sealed 11-6 to take a 2-1 lead.
Deni Kozul continued his winning streak and won the fourth game 11-7 in a confident fashion despite a few great shots by the veteran Kamal. The Indian’s struggles continued in Game 5 as the Slovenian showcased his form and kept the 42-year-old at bay before the 42-year-old rallied to win it with an 11-8 margin. But this wasn’t enough as Kozul held his nerves in the sixth game to clinch a 12-10 win and seal the game. After this defeat, Kamal will compete in the team event later in the Olympics.
In 2024, Kamal has been in outstanding form as he reached the quarterfinals of the Singapore Smash 2024 by defeating World No. 13 Darko Jorgic. Th is performance helped him make a 54-place jump in the ITTF World Rankings to the 34th spot. With some good form ahead of Paris 2024, the 42-year-old reminisced about his appearances at the Olympics over the years.
Speaking to Sportstar, Kamal expressed, “In 2008 I had a fantastic performance. I played Round of 32 there. After 12 years in Tokyo, I played a fantastic match. The world came out with a positive note in Japan. I would say sport was able to help the world speak about something else. Of course, the world was going through a tough time, but I think the mood changed after the Olympics. Really happy that sport was able to do that.”