Asian Games: Meet Syndrela Das, 17, youngest Indian on board at Japan

At 17 years, table tennis sensation Syndrela Das is the youngest member of the jumbo Indian contingent at the upcoming Aichi Nagoya Asian Games. However, she wants to make the headlines on merit rather than for her tender age and has twin goals—clinching the team gold and breaking into the top 50 in the world as soon as possible.

The ongoing year has been a standout for the product of Dhanuka Dhunseri Soumyadeep Poulomi Table Tennis Academy (DDSPTA) of Kolkata, blossoming under the hawk eyes of Olympians Soumyadeep Roy and his wife Poulumi Ghatak. A big plus for teenager Syndrela in Japan would be that apart from having Roy at her corner in Japan as the national coach, Sutirtha Mukerjee—her senior in the academy—is also a part of the squad.

She is currently No. 99 in  ITTF women’s singles rankings and No. 27 in the youth girls’ singles rankings. In an interview with PTI she said: “For the country, of course, I am looking forward to the Asian Games and we would try to clinch the gold, of course. But personally, I would try to get into the top 50 as fast as possible."

“I would say this season is going very well because I have been selected for the Asian Games, Commonwealth Championships and also the Youth Olympics,” said Syndrela, who completed a 'double' when she won both the women’s singles and U-19 girls’ singles titles at the National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in Kanpur around her 17^th birthday. Last month, the precocious talent turned heads when she stunned seasoned star Manika Batra, world No.52, in straight sets at the Ultimate Table Tennis.

In the run-up to the Asian Games, Syndrela admitted she is focusing on mental training and also looking to analyse her mistakes made in previous matches. “When there is off-season (time), I always focus on my fitness training and also mental training because it is equally important as my health. I train in the morning for like 3-4 hours and also in the evening for 2-3 hours. That’s how every day goes, and I also have fitness and gym like each day,” she said.

The Asian Games, meanwhile, will not be the end of her year either. Syndrela also has her eyes set at the Youth Olympics 2026 in Dakar, Senegal, which comes right after Aichi-Nagoya. Despite stepping onto an increasingly bigger stage, Syndrela sees her age as a source of excitement rather than pressure.

‘’I think excitement because there's a long way for me to go, and this is just the starting,’’ she added.