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Not just teaching TT; we're building athletes: Sunil Joshi
Hindustan Times Lucknow
|May 31, 2025
The Uttar Pradesh Table Tennis team has won a bronze medal at the senior national championship only twice: at Vallabh Vidya Nagar, Gujarat in 1977 and thereafter, in 2000, here in Lucknow, in its 61 years of existence since 1954.
LUCKNOW:
During the 2000 event at the Gomti Nagar Stadium, a series of episodes unfolded. Uttar Pradesh men, comprising Parag Agarwal, SP Singh, Zabarjeet Singh and Ksuhik Dey Sarkar, came from behind to win the battle against Tamil Nadu 3-2 to make it to the semi-final, before losing to Petroleum, 2-3, in the semi-final.
The play-off for the bronze medal saw UP win and consequently, UP coach Sunil Joshi quit smoking, as he had vowed to do so only if Uttar Pradesh made a podium finish. A tense Joshi was caught puffing by his father just outside the playing arena when Uttar Pradesh was down 0-2.
Seeing his father, Joshi promised him to quit smoking, if UP made it to the semi-finals. However, the UP men came out with bronze medals around their necks and Joshi quit smoking forever.
This story is from the May 31, 2025 edition of Hindustan Times Lucknow.
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