Manav Thakkar became the first Indian table tennis player to make it to the top of the U-18 world rankings, which were released on Thursday. China’s Wang Chuqin was ranked second while Indian-origin American Kanak Jha clinched the third spot.
The Surat-born Thakkar rose to No 2 last month and accumulated 6,396 points at the end of January, according to the International Table Tennis Federation rankings. “It’s a great feeling and I’m unable to express it in words,” Manav was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Thakkar is currently preparing for the prestigious ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals, which starts on Friday in Luxembourg. “I never thought of becoming No 1 so soon. But when I broke into the top five, my confidence grew and I started believing that [the top spot] was achievable. I am thankful to my first coach Vahed Malubhai, Gujarat Table Tennis Association, PSPB, GoSports Foundation and all the people who supported me,” the 17-year-old added.
Thakkar’s rise has been meteoric since breaking on to the scene in his pre-teens. The 17-year-old, who is now based in Ajmer, became the youngest player to bag a triple crown in state meets [cadet, sub-junior and junior] in 2010. The paddler subsequently became the U-12 national champion in 2011.