When Sarthak Arya stood on the 2025 Asian Youth Games podium in Bahrain, the shiny bronze medal adorning his neck marked a breakthrough moment for India in table tennis.
Arya and his mixed doubles partner Syndrela Das served up a slice of history, delivering India’s first medal in table tennis at the youth continental level.
While their achievement in Bahrain made little noise back home in the Indian media – where cricket still dominates headlines and drives the country’s 1.4 billion population crazy – for Arya, it unlocked the belief that sky is the limit.
“I gained a lot of confidence after winning bronze at the Asian Youth Games. It made me believe that I can also perform on the world stage,” Arya told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview.
Hailing from Odisha in eastern India, born and raised in New Delhi up north and currently training in Himachal Pradesh in the Western Himalayas, Arya’s surge to continental success was built on years of practice, stretching across parts of his home country.
At the third edition of Asian Youth Games, Arya and Das lost in the semi-finals to Tang Yiren and Hu Yi of People’s Republic of China. But with the Games offering joint bronze medals for losing semi-finalists, both pairs went home with a piece of silverware each.
Eight months on from that medal-winning performance, Arya has his sights set on going one step further this year, dreaming to win India’s first-ever medal in table tennis at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
“If I get selected for the Youth Olympics, I’d be very happy; my hard work would pay off,” said the 16-year-old paddler, who is taking the junior circuit by storm in India.
“It would be the biggest tournament I’ll play.
“If I win a medal, that’d be my greatest achievement and a big moment for India.”
Dakar 2026: A ‘stepping stone’ for Arya’s future goals
Making the cut* for the 31 October-13 November Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, is on top of Arya’s priorities right now. But his dreams don’t end there.
Speaking with maturity far beyond his age, Arya laid down somewhat of a five-year plan from now.
“I want to try qualifying for the LA 28 Olympic Games and aim for a gold at the 2030 Commonwealth Games (in India) and the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane,” he said.
“The Youth Olympics will be the stepping stone for my big journey ahead.”
By his own admission, there is still room for improvement in Arya’s game, and he is putting in the hard work with his coaches.
Strengthening his upper hand to extract more power, training on technical improvements and working on his mental strength to manage the pressure moments are some things he is working on.
After all, the task at hand is challenging. He’s dreaming to do what no one has achieved so far.
So does gunning for India’s first-ever medal in table tennis at the Youth Olympic Games put the young Arya under pressure?
“I am more excited than feeling under pressure,” he answered.
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Youth Olympic Games, athletes’ participation at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at the Games.
Arya’s rise to becoming India’s No. 1 in U-17s category
Arya first picked up the table tennis racket aged eight, later joining a local academy to pursue his dream. But it wasn’t until he won his first gold medal in boys’ U-13 singles at UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in 2021 that he realised his true potential.
Two years later, four medals, including two golds, in the U-15s category evoked a belief that aiming for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games was well within his reach.
“I think U-15s was the breakthrough for me, the most important time of my career so far,” Arya recalled. “I beat some players who are performing very well on the world circuit now.
“Francesco Trevisan from Italy, I beat him… and got a big confidence boost,” he said, referring to his 3-2 victory over the Italian No. 2 in the U15s boys’ singles final at the WTT Youth Contender Lignano 2024.
“Now, if I can use my brain strength, I can beat good players from various countries.”
As India’s No. 1 in the U-17 boys’ singles, Arya hopes to lead the country’s charge in table tennis in Dakar. While he is hopeful of winning a medal in the singles event on the back of his recent form, he thinks there is more chance of pulling that off in mixed doubles with his reliable partner and good friend, Das.
“India is stronger in team events,” he said. “Syndrela and I communicate with each other better than players from other countries. That gives us a major advantage.
“In pressure moments, we joke with each other… that’s our biggest plus point. When I am giving away points or feeling negative, she plays more aggressively, and I do the same when she’s down. We balance that well.”
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/dakar-2026-rising-stars-youth-olympic-games-sarthak-arya-india-table-tennis-ma-long
