Paris [France], July 25 : Ahead of the opening ceremony of the much-awaited Paris 2024 Olympics, India's flag-bearers, Achanta Sharath Kamal and PV Sindhu, expressed their excitement ahead of the memorable moment.
Two-time Olympic medallist and 2019 World Champion in badminton PV Sindhu will be India's female flag-bearer alongside veteran table tennis player Sharath Kamal. Gagan Narang will be the Chef-de-Mission of the Indian contingent.
On the eve of the moment, Kamal revealed that he had been dreaming about the "fantastic moment" for three to four months.
"Waiting for July 26th, when we will be leading the Indian contingent on the opening ceremony. It has been a moment for the past three to four months that I have been dreaming about and visualising. So I am pretty excited about, and especially I am going to do that with PV Sindhu. So it is a fantastic moment, I will say," Kamal said in a video by IOA media.
Star shuttler Sindhu, who sees Kamal as a super senior and has known him for a very long time, stated that it would be a proud moment for both of them.
"I am very happy to be the flag-bearer without fellow Indian Sharath Kamal. It is a proud moment for both of us and is a one-time opportunity for anyone to be a flag-bearer and obviously represent our country at the Olympics. It is a very proud moment for both of us. He is like a super senior to me. I have known him for a long time," she said.
"Me and Sharath Kamal will be holding the flag at the opening ceremony. I have known Sharath for a very long time, and he has been playing amazingly for so many years. This would be his fourth or fifth Olympics, I guess. It would be a great moment sharing the flag with him, super proud," Sindhu added.
PV Sindhu, currently ranked World No. 12, has been the face of Indian badminton for years. The silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics against Spain's Carolina Marin saw her become the first Indian badminton player to reach the final of the showpiece event.
India will compete in the individual as well as team events of table tennis at the Paris Olympics. In the singles event, Sharath Kamal and Harmeet Desai will feature in the men's category, while Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula will compete in the women's event.
Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar will compete in the men's team event. Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath will feature in the women's event.
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