India has qualified for both the men's and women's team events for the first time in Olympic Games history and Costantini has been brought in to guide the players on the biggest stage. This will be his third stint with the Indian team and the 66-year-old has witnessed the rise of Indian table tennis since he first arrived in India in 2009.
Under Costantini's leadership, India bagged a record eight medals, including three gold, at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and two bronze medals at the 2018 Asian Games.
"Qualifying for the team events is already an achievement because only 16 teams from around the world can be represented at the Olympic Games. It is difficult to say whether we will win a medal, but I can definitely say that we can find a big surprise." "There have been enough signs in the last six months that even teams like China are worried about playing India early in the competition," Costantini said during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis.
The Indian women's team took China to the brink at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan earlier this year with Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula defeating the world number one. 1 and world no. 2 players respectively in the team's 2-3 defeat. Sreeja has since become the first Indian singles player to win a WTT Contender title in Lagos, while players like Manika Batra and male stars, including the experienced Achanta Sharath, have reached their peak form.
Costantini, in whose second stint India won two medals at the Asian Games in 2018, has an excellent relationship with the Indian team and has closely followed the development of Indian table tennis over the years. The Italian, who competed in the 1988 Olympic Games, considered that the beginning of Ultimate Table Tennis has changed the rules of the game.
"UTT has given Indian players the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience. The combination of having international coaches working with Indian coaches along with youth development programs has ensured that Indian players are ready to take on the best in the world," he claimed.
Speaking about the team's preparation for the Paris Olympics, Costantini said that he is currently in the process of evaluating the level at which the players are playing and also working on the doubles combinations for the team championships, as the contingent Indian participates in some WTT events around the world. the world. “Our goal is also to achieve good results in these events so that we can improve our ranking and avoid playing against the top four countries before the quarter-final stage, as the ranking will be updated before the Games and will determine the result. tie," he added.
The Indian men's team is currently ranked 14th in the world, while the women's team is ranked 11th.
Costantini said the team will also know their opponents in Paris well in advance and that will help them prepare better. "The gap between us and the best teams is not that big. Since we will know our opponents beforehand and we have the data and research on all these teams, we will have time to prepare well and work tactically to close that small gap."
Under Costantini's leadership, India bagged a record eight medals, including three gold, at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and two bronze medals at the 2018 Asian Games.
"Qualifying for the team events is already an achievement because only 16 teams from around the world can be represented at the Olympic Games. It is difficult to say whether we will win a medal, but I can definitely say that we can find a big surprise." "There have been enough signs in the last six months that even teams like China are worried about playing India early in the competition," Costantini said during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis.
The Indian women's team took China to the brink at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan earlier this year with Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula defeating the world number one. 1 and world no. 2 players respectively in the team's 2-3 defeat. Sreeja has since become the first Indian singles player to win a WTT Contender title in Lagos, while players like Manika Batra and male stars, including the experienced Achanta Sharath, have reached their peak form.
Costantini, in whose second stint India won two medals at the Asian Games in 2018, has an excellent relationship with the Indian team and has closely followed the development of Indian table tennis over the years. The Italian, who competed in the 1988 Olympic Games, considered that the beginning of Ultimate Table Tennis has changed the rules of the game.
"UTT has given Indian players the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience. The combination of having international coaches working with Indian coaches along with youth development programs has ensured that Indian players are ready to take on the best in the world," he claimed.
Speaking about the team's preparation for the Paris Olympics, Costantini said that he is currently in the process of evaluating the level at which the players are playing and also working on the doubles combinations for the team championships, as the contingent Indian participates in some WTT events around the world. the world. “Our goal is also to achieve good results in these events so that we can improve our ranking and avoid playing against the top four countries before the quarter-final stage, as the ranking will be updated before the Games and will determine the result. tie," he added.
The Indian men's team is currently ranked 14th in the world, while the women's team is ranked 11th.
Costantini said the team will also know their opponents in Paris well in advance and that will help them prepare better. "The gap between us and the best teams is not that big. Since we will know our opponents beforehand and we have the data and research on all these teams, we will have time to prepare well and work tactically to close that small gap."
