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Kanak Jha has one of the most incredible stories for Team USA at the Paris Olympics. The table tennis star just advanced further than any other American in the sport, overcoming obstacles along the way.
No US player has brought home a medal in the men’s singles event, but Jha came much closer than past competitors. That’s made even more impressive considering his dream of representing his country was nearly derailed completely!
An administrative mix-up on a drug form was the root of the cause, and it led to a year-long suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
The issue? Jha forgot to put a +1 next to his phone number on the paperwork.
That led to three missed scheduling phone calls, which resulted in three missed drug tests, which ended in punishment.
From TeamUSA.com:
He rose as high as No. 19 in the world — a position that likely would have automatically qualified him for the Olympics… However, things unraveled shortly thereafter, as Jha missed three drug tests and was suspended for one year by the USADA. Ultimately, Jha missed more than 15 months of action, during which he was not allowed to compete and also faced a variety of training restrictions.
Both his training and financial situation took immediate hits, putting his Olympic future in doubt. Making things worse, his rankings points went back to 0 when he returned from suspension – making the uphill battle for qualifying that much more difficult.
A GoFundMe helped support his cause, and he was somehow able to work his way back into contention for the Paris Games despite the setback.
He had to compete in two separate trials to earn a spot in Paris. In fact, he was thrust into Olympic qualifying on the first day of his comeback.
“It was like 0 to 100 for me,” Jha said. “It was very stressful and very difficult after such a long break. But I’m very proud of the way I came back. The goal was to qualify for the Paris Games — and I managed to do it. That’s all that matters.”
Kanak Jha advanced to the Round of 16 in Paris.
No other American table tennis player can say that!
Ranked 120th in the world when he entered the field, he took down Panagiotis Gionis of Greece and Cho Dae-seong of South Korea in his first two matchups.
Making history! 🇺🇸 Kanak reaches the Round of 16 at the Paris Olympics, beating Panagiotis Gionis 4-2. Next: No.2 seed Fan Zhendong at 4pm EDT. 📸
@ittfworld @teamusa @jhakanak #TeamUSA #OneForAll#USATT #Paris2024 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/wOjIKjZRgK
— USA Table Tennis (@usatabletennis) July 31, 2024
Jha is no stranger to history on the table. He also owns the distinction of being the first US Olympic competitor to be born in the 2000s, dating back to when he made the Rio de Janeiro field in 2016.
Unfortunately, his 2024 singles run came to an end on Wednesday when he lost in the Round of 16 to No. 2 seed Fan Zhendong. Still, he made his country proud, overcoming all the odds to do so!