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What's the story?
India's Manav Vikash Thakkar has won the silver medal at the ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals held in Luxembourg on Sunday.
In case you didn't know...
Manav Vikash Thakkar became the first Indian table tennis player to reach the summit of the ITTF World Junior Circuit when he finished second at the 2017 Serbian Junior and Cadet Open held in Belgrade, Serbia. He was ranked second before the tournament in Belgrade but his runner-up finish lifted him to the top of the rankings.
The heart of the matter
Indian paddler Manav Vikash Thakkar won the silver medal at the ITTF World Junior Circut Finals held in Luxembourg where he lost in the final to Kanak Jha from the United States. The match went the full distance and ended in a 9-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3, 9-11, 11-6 scoreline victory for the American Jha.
Manav Vikash Thakkar, who was seeded third at the ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals recently made history when he was ranked at the top of the ITTF World Junior Circuit rankings in the U-18 boys' category. Manav has garnered a total tally of 6396 points, whereas his opponent in Luxembourg, Kanak Jha is ranked third in the world with 6159 points.
What's next?
Manav completed the World Junior Circuit for the year 2017 in Luxembourg and the 2018 season will kickstart in Oman with the Oman Junior & Cadet Open. The tournament in the Premium Series of the circuit will be held from 7-11 February 2018.
Author's take
Manav Vikash Thakkar's achievement in the ITTF Juniors circuit has provided India with a great prospect for the future of the game in India. With the advent of the Ultimate Table Tennis in India last year, the game has slowly begun to rise in popularity amongst the Indian sports fans. Manav's rise to World No. 1 rank and the silver medal in the finals is an accomplishment that every Indian will be proud of.
