Sharath and Sreeja won gold in mixed doubles table tennis at the Commonwealth Games.
Achanta Sharath Kamal and Akula Sreeja of India collect their gold medals during the Commonwealth Games 2022 medal ceremony in Birmingham, UK.
Sharath and Sreeja won 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 over Choong and Lyne, who had earlier upset pre-tournament favourites G. Sathiyan and Manika Batra.
At Commonwealth Games A, Sharath Kamal and Akula Sreeja won India’s first mixed doubles gold medal, defeating Malaysian giant-killers Javen Choong and Karen Lyne in the final. Sharath Kamal and Sreeja Akula won India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games mixed doubles gold medal and the second table tennis gold in Birmingham on Sunday night, defeating the giant-killer Malaysian combo of Javen Choong and Karen Lyne.
GOLD FOR SHARATH AND SREEJA 🔥
🇮🇳's dynamic #TableTennis Mixed Doubles 🏓pair – the young sensation #SreejaAkula & the evergreen @sharathkamal1 team up to clinch the GOLD 🥇 at #CommonwealthGames2022
🇮🇳 wins 3-1 against 🇲🇾 in the XD final
A pairing to remember! 🤩#Cheer4India pic.twitter.com/oFRtlnOOjQ
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 7, 2022
The men’s team from India, captained by Sharath, had previously won the team championship.
Sharath, who previously advanced to the men’s singles final despite coming second in the men’s doubles category with Sathiyan, is now on course for a treble-gold medal haul.
Sreeja, the star of India’s women paddlers this week, was awarded a well-deserved medal on top of the podium to finish off an incredible week. Sreeja overcame her grief in the singles bronze medal playoff and shone in the day’s last match with solid forehand winners.
Sharath lets Sreeja steal the show
Sharath, who had already played two sets that day, was prepared to let Sreeja have the spotlight and repeatedly chipped in against a very inexperienced duo.
Sharath overcame England’s Paul Drinkhall in six hard-fought games earlier in the evening in the men’s singles semifinal, while Sathiyan lost to England No. 1, Liam Pitchford.
Pitchford was too aggressive and speedy for Sathiyan, who struggled on numerous fronts in the semifinal. While Sharath will compete in the final against Pitchford on Monday, Sathiyan will want to win his first CWG medal by defeating Drinkhall in the bronze medal playoff.