Soumyajit Ghosh
{{short description|Indian table tennis player}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox table tennis player
| name = Soumyajit Ghosh
| image = G. Sekharan, India-gold, Ghosh S, India-silver and Shen Qiang, Canada-bronze in Table Tennis, at the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games-2008, in Pune on October 16, 2008.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Ghosh (left) at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games
| fullname =
| nickname = Baban
| nationality = Indian
| residence =
| playingstyle= Right-handed
| equipment =
| hrank=
| club =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1993|05|10}}
| birth_place = Siliguri, India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height =
| weight =
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's Table tennis }}
{{MedalCountry | {{IND}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | South Asian Games }}
{{MedalGold | 2019 Kathmandu/Pokhara | Men's team }}
}}
Soumyajit Ghosh ({{langx|bn|সৌম্যজিৎ ঘোষ}}; born 10 May 1993) is an Indian table tennis player from Siliguri, West Bengal.http://www.tabletennisbug.com/2010/10/table-tennis-player-profile-soumyajit.html Table Tennis player profile: Soumyajit Ghosh He was the youngest Indian player to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120513/spectrum/main6.htm Ankita Das and Soumyajit Ghosh are the youngest Indian players to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics] He also became the youngest national champion at the age of 19, when he defeated Sharath Kamal in the 74th National Table Tennis Championships.[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/Soumyajit-Ghosh-becomes-youngest-national-table-tennis-champ/articleshow/17996714.cms Soumyajit Ghosh becomes youngest national table tennis champ]
Personal
Ghosh hails from a middle-class family in Siliguri. His father Hari Sankar Ghosh works for the local municipal corporation. His mother Mina Ghosh is a homemaker. Soumyajit is an only child. In India he trains at the NIS base in Patiala under coach Bhawani Mukherjee. When abroad, he trains under coach Peter Karlsson in Falkenberg, Sweden. Ghosh is the Indian number 1 in table tennis as per the world ranking (Nov 2016).[http://www.ttfi.org/app/webroot/pdf/ranking2013/Ranking_Dec2013/Men.pdf TTFI Rankings] He was world number 63, as of November 2016.
Career
=Early career=
In 2010, Ghosh won mixed doubles bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Bahrain. He was instrumental in helping the India national team clinch a bronze medal in the World Junior Championships in 2011, by winning both his singles matches against South Korea in the quarter-finals.[http://www.olympic.org/news/soumyajit-ghosh-looks-forward-to-london-2012/167844 Soumyajit Ghosh looks forward to London 2012] He was also an integral part of the team that won the Asian Junior Championships in 2011.[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-in-school/soumyajit-ankita-book-london-berth/article3343439.ece Soumyajit, Ankita book London berth]
=2013=
In 2013, Ghosh created history by becoming the youngest national champion ever by beating six-time champion Sharath Kamal in the finals of the 74th National Table Tennis Championships.[http://www.ttfi.org/events/newsdetail/97/Ghosh%20youngest%20men's%20champ;%20Shamini%20regain%20women's%20crown GHOSH YOUNGEST MEN'S CHAMP] He followed that up by winning the singles event at the Inter Institutional Table Tennis Championships in Dharwad, Karnataka.[http://www.ttfi.org/events/newsdetail/139/GHOSH,%20SHAMINI%20ARE%20CHAMPIONS GHOSH, SHAMINI ARE CHAMPIONS] He also won the singles event in the U-21 category at the Brazil Open in Santos.[http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/soumyajit-manika-win-brazil-open-titles/article5012255.ece Soumyajit, Manika win Brazil Open titles]
=2014=
At the Lusofonia Games, 2014 in Goa, Ghosh won gold medal in mixed doubles and men's team event as well as a silver and bronze in men's singles and doubles respectively.[http://lusofoniagames2014.gov.in/tt/tt_main.htm Lusofonia Games, Table Tennis] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219060534/http://www.lusofoniagames2014.gov.in/tt/tt_main.htm |date=19 February 2014 }} He was also a quarter finalist at the Senior National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in Patna, 2014.[http://www.ttfi.org/app/webroot/eventquaImage/kqC_ms2.pdf Defending champion Ghosh ousted] At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow Ghosh reached the quarter finals of both men's singles and doubles. He also reached the semis of the team event.{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20140826085425/http://results.glasgow2014.com/athlete/table_tennis/1008028/soumyajit_ghosh.html Glasgow, 2014]}}
=2015=
At the WTTC 2015, Soumyajit reached R64 by beating Quadri Aruna.
= 2016 =
On 14 April 2016, Soumyajit Ghosh qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics.{{Cite web|url = http://www.firstpost.com/sports/south-asian-olympic-qualifiers-indian-table-tennis-aces-soumyajit-ghosh-manika-batra-book-rio-berths-2729754.html|title = South Asian Olympic Qualifiers: Indian table-tennis aces Soumyajit Ghosh, Manika Batra book Rio berths - Firstpost|website = Firstpost| date=14 April 2016 |language = en-US|access-date = 2016-04-14}} However, he made a first round exit in the men's individual event losing to Padasak Tanviriyavechakul of Thailand.{{cite news|title=TT Players Mouma, Manika, Soumyajit and Kamal Lose in 1st Round|url=http://www.thequint.com/rio-olympics-2016/2016/08/06/tt-player-mouma-das-knocked-out-in-first-round|accessdate=8 August 2016|agency=The Quint|date=7 August 2016}}
= 2017 =
On 30 April 2017, Soumyajit Ghosh won the ITTF Challenge Seamaster Chile Open singles event, by beating compatriot Anthony Amalraj in the final. This was his first ITTF Pro title and he became the third Indian to win an ITTF event.
Controversy
He was placed under provisional suspension and dropped from the Indian Team and replaced by Sanil Shetty for the 2018 Commonwealth Games after a complaint of rape was filed against him by an 18-year-old teenager in Barasat, West Bengal.{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/commonwealth-games/2018-commonwealth-games-sanil-shetty-replaces-soumyajit-ghosh-in-tt-squad/articleshow/63563759.cms | title=2018 Commonwealth Games: Sanil Shetty replaces Soumyajit Ghosh | work=The Times of India | author=Krishnakanta Chakraborty | date=1 April 2018 | accessdate=26 July 2018}}{{cite web | url=https://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/soumyajit-ghosh-provisionally-suspended/article23335290.ece | title=Soumyajit Ghosh provisionally suspended | work=The Hindu|author=Rakesh Rao | date=23 March 2018 | accessdate=26 July 2018}} He has denied the allegations.{{cite web | url=http://www.dnaindia.com/sports/report-cwg-2018-tainted-soumyajit-ghosh-left-behind-india-s-9-member-table-tennis-squad-leaves-for-gold-coast-2599396 | title=CWG 2018: Tainted Soumyajit Ghosh left behind, India's 9-member table tennis squad leaves for Gold Coast | publisher=DNA India | date=30 March 2018 | accessdate=26 July 2018}} He later married the girl who accused him of rape.{{cite web | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/married-to-girl-who-accused-him-of-rape-paddler-soumyajit-ghosh-picking-up-pieces-5294565/ | title=Married to girl who accused him of rape, table tennis player Soumyajit Ghosh picking up pieces | work=The Indian Express| date=6 August 2018 | accessdate=6 August 2018}}{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/married-to-girl-who-accused-him-of-rape-paddler-ghosh-picking-up-pieces/articleshow/65293543.cms | title=Married to girl who accused him of rape, paddler Ghosh picking up pieces | work=The Times of India | date=6 August 2018 | accessdate=6 August 2018}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghosh, Soumyajit}}
Category:Indian male table tennis players
Category:Table tennis players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Category:Table tennis players at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic table tennis players for India
Category:Table tennis players at the 2014 Asian Games
Category:Racket sportspeople from West Bengal
Category:Asian Games competitors for India
Category:Recipients of the Arjuna Award
Category:Table tennis players at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for India
Category:South Asian Games gold medalists for India