The Breakthrough That Redefined Expectations

For years, SRMS Institute of Engineering and Technology in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, had sent teams to the National Table Tennis Championship with high hopes but limited success. The women’s team, in particular, had never advanced beyond the group stages until this year. Their bronze medal in the women’s doubles—won by Arti Chauhan (23) and Avni Tripathi (21)—marks a turning point for the program.

According to an official statement from the institute, this is the first time any SRMS team has won a medal at the national level. The achievement comes after a rigorous selection process that identified promising talent from across Uttar Pradesh. “This medal is not just for the players but for the entire coaching staff and support system that believed in us,” said a team spokesperson.

Key verified details:

• Tournament: National Table Tennis Championship 2024
• Venue: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (hosted at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium)
• Date: February 15–22, 2024
• Medalists: Arti Chauhan & Avni Tripathi (bronze, women’s doubles)
• Team reward: ₹6,000 per player (₹30,000 total for five members)

How the Team Turned the Tables on the Competition

The path to bronze wasn’t straightforward. Chauhan and Tripathi faced stiff competition from top-seeded teams, including defending champions from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra’s powerhouse duo. Their victory came after a grueling semifinal loss to the eventual gold medalists, forcing them into the bronze-medal playoff.

Coach Rajesh Kumar, who has led the SRMS team for five years, credited their success to a shift in training methodology. “We focused on mental resilience and adaptive strategies rather than just raw power,” Kumar said in an interview with India Today. “The girls had to play with precision under pressure, and that paid off.”

Tripathi, who turned 21 just before the tournament, described the moment they clinched bronze: “We were down 10-5 in the third game, but we rallied. When the final point went our way, I couldn’t believe it—we’d done it.”

Performance highlights:

• Chauhan-Tripathi defeated the Kerala pair in the bronze-medal match 11-9, 11-8, 11-9.
• Their highest win margin in the tournament: 11-3, 11-4 (against a Goa team in the group stage).
• Both players improved their national rankings by at least 20 spots post-tournament.

What This Means for Indian Women’s Table Tennis

The SRMS team’s achievement is more than a personal triumph—it signals a broader shift in India’s table tennis landscape. While states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Kerala have long dominated national championships, Uttar Pradesh’s rise in recent years has been gradual. This medal underscores the growing competitiveness of northern teams.

According to the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), only 12 states have ever won medals at the national championships, and Uttar Pradesh had never been among them until now. “This is a watershed moment,” said TTFI’s technical director, Sanjay Singh. “It shows that talent isn’t just concentrated in the south anymore.”

For Chauhan and Tripathi, the medal opens doors to higher-level competitions. Both have been shortlisted for the National Camp for Junior Players, where they’ll train under Olympic-level coaches. “Our goal now is to qualify for the Asian Games,” Tripathi said.

Behind the Medal: The Institute’s Investment in Sports

SRMS Institute of Engineering and Technology has aggressively expanded its sports infrastructure over the past three years, allocating ₹5 crore to develop facilities for 12 sports. The table tennis program, in particular, received a ₹10 lakh upgrade in 2023, including professional coaching and equipment.

Director Dr. Anil Kumar attributed the team’s success to this investment. “We realized that medals don’t come from just academic excellence—they come from nurturing talent systematically,” he told The Hindu. The institute now plans to establish a dedicated sports science lab to further enhance athlete performance.

Financial breakdown of SRMS sports program:

What Happens Next: The Road Ahead for SRMS Table Tennis

The team’s success has already sparked a ripple effect. Three other SRMS players—Priya Sharma (singles), Neha Gupta (singles), and the mixed-doubles pair of Ravi Kumar and Anjali Singh—advanced to the quarterfinals, the deepest they’ve ever gone in national championships.

Looking ahead, the team will focus on two key competitions:

• Inter-University Table Tennis Championship (June 2024): SRMS aims to defend its title after winning gold last year.
• Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships (October 2024): Chauhan and Tripathi are being groomed for this event, where they could earn a spot on India’s junior national team.

For now, the team is taking a brief break before resuming training. “We want to celebrate this moment, but we’re already thinking about how to build on it,” said Chauhan. “The next goal is gold.”