Table of Contents
Harmeet Desai, the 30-year-old man from Gujarat, in the last 3-4 years has taken Indian Table Tennis to the next level. You take the name of a Table Tennis event in the previous few years, and he does feature in the winners’ list of most of them. Be it the South Asian Game, Asian Games, Asian Championship or the Commonwealth Games, Harmeet has won many accolades and has fluttered the Indian Flag at the highest of the levels.
Harmeet Desai Biography
| Name | Harmeet Desai |
| Profession | Indian Table Tennis Player |
| Date of Birth | 19th July 1993 (Age-30) |
| Place of Birth | Dumas, Gujarat |
| Height | 1.66 meter |
| Weight | 63 Kg |
| Ultimate Table Tennis League Team | Goa Challengers |
Harmeet Desai: Early Days
Harmeet Desai was born on 19th July 1993 in Dumas, Surat, Gujarat. At an extremely young age, he was introduced to Table Tennis by his Father Rajul Desai. Harmeet used to play with his father during the early days.
The point of breakthrough came when he started to train under the world-renowned Table Tennis player Peter Karlsson under the Olympic Solidarity Program. That’s where he got the boost he needed to excel as a top-level table tennis player.
Harmeet dominated the junior-level tournaments under the coaching, guidance and mentorship of Peter Karlsson. This young prodigy decided to move to Rajasthan when he decided that he would pursue a full-fledged career as a Table Tennis Player. He joined Petroleum Table Tennis Academy where he was trained under Yin Wei, a Table Tennis Coach from China.
Harmeet Desai: Kicking off a Glorious Career
Right from the age group, Harmeet is a master when it comes to finishing on the podium. During the World Junior Circuit Taiyuan Open, he won his first international medal, which was a Bronze. The tournament was of the U-15 Category held in China.
Harmeet went a notch higher winning the silver medal in the U-18 singles category at the Taiyuan International Junior and Cadet Open. This was in 2009. A year later, in 2010, Harmeet finished in the 2nd spot in the Junior Singles at the South Asian Federation Games. A few months later, Harmeet won gold as a Team and silver playing the singles match in the South Asian Junior TT Championships in Dehradun.
In 2012, he won the Fajr Cup in Tehran, Iran. In 2013, at the Lusofonia Games in Goa, Harmeet once again helped his team to win bronze and achieved a 3rd place finish in the Singles event.
During the 2015 ITTF Challenge Australian Open, he won silver in the men’s double. Two years later in 2017, at the Zagreb Challenge in Croatia, he won the gold medal in the singles event.
A meteoric rise to become an India’s sports icon
The year 2012 gave Harmeet a national recognition. This paddler from Gujarat won the ITTF World Tour Brazil Open Title. With this win, he became the only 2nd Indian to achieve this feat.
In 2013, He won Bronze at the Brazil Open Table Tennis Championship in Santos, Brazil. In 2019, he became the National Champion at the National Table Tennis Championship.
Most notably, Harmeet was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2019 for his fantastic performances all over the globe.
Also Read: Amoj Jacob Biography: Sprinting Towards Glory
Harmeet Desai: Major Achievements
Gold Medals
| Event | Location of Event | Type of Game |
| 2019 South Asian Games | Kathmandu | Men’s Team |
| 2019 South Asian Games | Kathmandu | Men’s Double |
| 2019 South Asian Games | Kathmandu | Mixed Doubles |
| 2018 Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast | Men’s Team |
Silver Medals
| Event | Location of Event | Type of Game |
| 2019 South Asian Game | Kathmandu | Men’ Single |
Bronze Medals
| Event | Location of Event | Type of Game |
| 2019 Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast | Men’ Double |
| 2018 Asian Games | Jakarta | Men’s Team |
| 2021 Asian Championship | Doha | Men’s Team |
| 2021 Asian Championship | Doha | Men’s Doubles |
| 2023 Asian Championship | Pyeongchang | Men’s Team |
Harmeet Desai: Playing Style
Harmeet is regarded as one of the most attacking-minded players in the current pool of Indian Table Tennis Players. His aggression with a Table Tennis Racket in hand is accompanied by top quality and fast footwork and an amazingly powerful forehand.
He is a master when it comes to winning important points using deceptive shots. Yes, his playing style is aggressive, but naturally, he is a calm-minded person, which perhaps helps him to make bold and aggressive decisions with higher accuracy and better execution.
Harmeet Desai: Ultimate Table Tennis League
Harmeet Desai plays for Goa Challengers in the Ultimate Table Tennis League. He led the Goa Challengers to their maiden UTT Title in 2023.
UTT or Ultimate Table Tennis League is the professional Table Tennis League organized by TTFI where the six franchises battle against each other to become the crown champions of UTT.
Harmeet Desai Social Media
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Also Read | Top 20 Best Table Tennis Racket for Beginners & Professionals
