New Delhi, Aug 12: Her performance in the recently concluded Paris Olympics 2024 was impressive. In Paris Games, she also became the second ever Indian paddler to reach the Pre-Quarterfinals in the Olympics.
But Sreeja Akula, the 26 year-old star Indian TT player has been ruled out of the upcoming season of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) with an injury, the organisers informed on Monday.
Later, she too has reportedly confirmed that she has been diagnosed with a stress fracture and on medical advice will have to rest for six weeks.
Sreeja is a two-time Indian national champion. She is currently ranked India No 1 in women's singles. She is a double Gold medallist at the 2019 South Asian Games.
She won the Gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, in the mixed doubles event with Sharath Kamal. In June 2024, she became the first Indian to win a singles title at the WTT Contender level by clinching the top spot at WTT Contender Lagos. She has been conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2022.
Sreeja's injury is expected to hurt her team Jaipur Patriots. She replaced by the U19 Youth National Champion and UTT debutant Nithyashree Mani, sources revealed.
