Tokyo Olympics Countdown: Meet the athletes - Achanta Sharath Kamal and Mirabai Chanu

In our countdown to the Tokyo Olympics we are regularly profiling some of the biggest Indian medal contenders.
Today we feature India's top male table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal and weightlifting champion Mirabai Chanu.
Achanta Sharath Kamal (Table Tennis)
Date of Birth: July 12, 1982
Age: 38 years
Birth Place: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Sport/Event(s): Table Tennis (Singles, doubles, mixed doubles)
Current ranking: 32 (May 2021)
Highest ranking: 30 (2019)
Major achievements:
* Bronze in 2018 Jakarta Asian Games (Men's team)
* Bronze in 2018 Jakarta Asian Games (Mixed doubles)
* Bronze in 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (Mixed doubles)
* Bronze in 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (Men's singles)
* Silver in 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (Men's doubles)
* Gold in 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (Men's team)
* Bronze in 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games (Men's team)
* Gold in 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games (Men's doubles)
* Gold in 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games (Men's team)
* Gold in 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games (Men's singles)
Achanta Sharath Kamal. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)
Top-ranked Indian TT player Achanta Sharath Kamal qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in March by beating Pakistan's Rameez Muhammad in the Asian Olympic Qualification tournament at Doha.
This will be Sharath Kamal's fourth Olympic Games, having competed in the quadrennial Games for the first time in 2004. But this will be the first time that Sharath Kamal would compete in two events in the Games - Men's Singles and Mixed Doubles.
Sharath Kamal won two historic bronze medals (Men's Team and Mixed Doubles) in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. The veteran paddler won a gold (Men's Team), a silver (Men's Doubles) and two bronze (Men's Singles and Mixed Doubles) in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
A nine-time Seniors National Champion, Sharath Kamal was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019.
The veteran paddler ended his decade long wait for a title when he won the Oman Open in March 2020. His last title before this was in 2010, when Sharath bagged the Egypt Open crown.
Mirabai Chanu (Weightlifting)
Date of Birth: August 8, 1994
Age: 26
Birth Place: Imphal, Manipur
Sport/Event(s): Weightlifting (49kg)
Major achievements:
* Bronze in 2020 Tashkent Asian Championships (49 kg)
* Gold in 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (48 kg)
* Gold in 2017 Anaheim World Championships (48 kg)
* Silver in 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games (48 kg)
Mirabai Chanu. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Mirabai Chanu, the 2017 weightlifting world champion (48kg), lifted 86kg in snatch and a world record 119kg in clean and jerk for a total of 205kg to win the bronze medal at the Asian Championship in April this year. Her perfect clean and jerk of 119kg is a world record.
Mirabai had a disappointing performance at the Rio Games in 2016, but since then she has won the gold medal in the 2017 World Championships and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The 26 year old has evolved as a weightlifter since the last Olympics, changing and tweaking techniques.
Mirabai left for St Louis in the US on May 1, to train under strength and conditioning coach Dr. Aaron Horschig. She is also undergoing treatment for her recurring shoulder injury there. Mirabai will go directly to Tokyo from the US to participate in the Olympics.
Mirabai was in the US in November-December last year to treat a lower back injury under the guidance of Dr. Horschig.