Sharath Kamal

The 42-year-old Sharath Kamal, who was making his fifth Olympics appearance, lost 12-10 9-11 6-11 7-11 11-8 10-12 to his opponent ranked 86 places below him in the match that lasted 53 minutes.

Sharath Kamal, the athlete who defies age

Table Tennis player Sharath Kamal is one of the senior pros, who will be the oldest player at next week's WTT Star Contender event in Goa, but he is not the only athlete in his 40s playing a world sporting event.

Sharath Kamal to receive Khel Ratna on November 30

While Sharath is the lone Khel Ratna award recipient, a total of 25 athletes including shuttlers Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, woman boxer Nikhat Zareen, athletes Eldhose Paul, Avinash Sable have been nominated for the Arjuna Award this year.

40 and going strong: Sharath Kamal wins singles gold after 16 years

After losing the first game that he should have closed, Sharath beat a much younger yet experienced Liam Pitchford of England 11-13, 11-7, 11-2, 11-6, 11-8 at the NEC arena.

Commonwealth Games | Sharath Kamal wins gold after beating England in table tennis singles final

The 40-year-old Sharath had earlier won gold in men's singles at the Melbourne Games in 2006 and also bagged a bronze at the 2010 showpiece in New Delhi.

A guide on how not to be disappointed while watching India at the Olympics

The Indian fan has a volatile relationship with the Olympic sport form. Here's how to watch the Games with greater equanimity, and less heart ache.