Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PARIS — U.S. Olympians are often medal favorites in the events they compete in. Not in table tennis, one of the few Olympic sports in which no American has ever won a medal. In Paris, U.S. competitors are hoping for more exposure — and resources — after Kanak Jha made history by becoming the first American man to reach the round of 16 on Wednesday. Jha, 24, who is ranked No. 120 in the world and trains and competes mostly in Germany, had to resort to crowdfunding to help support his career and his Olympic preparations. He raised nearly $29,000 through a GoFundMe account put together to help cover costs for training, travel, accommodation and hiring a private coach.
