Paddler Sathiyan all geared up for Tokyo Games

The 28-year-old had notched comfortable win at the Asian Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Doha in March to qualify for his maiden Summer Games

New Delhi: Leaving no stone unturned for his maiden Olympics, ace Indian paddler G. Sathiyan has requested the government to arrange the table which will be used at the Tokyo Games.

The 28-year-old had notched comfortable win at the Asian Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Doha in March to qualify for his maiden Summer Games.

“I am trying to get a TT table to be used in Olympics so if things can come together, definitely, it’d be one of the best preparations and very intense preparation,” said Sathiyan during a virtual press-conference arranged by Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Friday.

“I am planning to get the the San-Ei absolute W advance table, which will be used in the Olympics. I have put up the proposal to TOPS. That is one of the tables which is never used in any of the competitions.” Sathiyan’s request will be considered under the government’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). He is also working on adding more variety to his game ahead of the mega event.

“We’ve been working on a lot of technical aspects of course, a lot more into strokes which are more powerful. I think I’ve been a very good player on the speed practice, but I think I need to put on more power inject more power into the strokes, so working on that.

“I have been working on the variations I think you will be seeing a Sathiyan with a lot of variations on the table…you will be seeing a lot of different kinds of variations in every aspect on my slopes, serves and receives coming into the table, which will give a new flavour when I play the players at the Olympics.”

Sathiyan, who is training with sparring partner Anirban Ghosh in Chennai until the Olympics, is hopeful of training on the table which will be used in the Olympics.

With widespread travel restrictions on India and several state governments imposing lockdowns, travelling abroad for training or competitions is a difficult task but the world no 38 is content with training at home.

“So we play some practice matches in Chennai, but that’s what we’re looking at. There’s a possibility, things get better if I go in and play some matches, but it’s mostly going to be preparation in India.”

Sathiyan feels playing in the Polish and Japanese leagues helped him lot in the past one year when international events were scarce.