Archive · 26 Sep 2026
Diya Chitale Dedicates Asian Games Table Tennis Bronze to Mentor
Diya Chitale won a bronze medal in mixed doubles table tennis with Manush Shah.
Before one of her matches, she learned that her longtime mentor, Peter Engel, had died.
Engel had trained her since she was 12 years old.
Diya said Engel was like more than a coach to her.
Her family and other coaches helped her continue playing after the sad news.
Diya and Manush changed their strategy and beat a Hong Kong pair in the quarterfinals.
They later lost to Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha in the semifinal.
Diya dedicated the bronze medal to Engel because she believed it would have made him happy.
She said she wants to aim higher and eventually compete successfully at the Olympics.
Diya Chitale dedicated her Asian Games mixed doubles bronze medal to longtime mentor Peter Engel, who died earlier in the week.
Chitale and Manush Shah defeated Hong Kong’s Wong Chung Ting and Doo Hoi Kem in the quarterfinals before losing to Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha in the semifinal.
Chitale began training with former India coach Engel in Germany in 2015, when she was 12.
The pair overcame recent poor form and limited practice time to reach the podium in mixed doubles.
Chitale said the medal was a milestone but that her larger goal remains winning an Olympic medal.
- Who
- Indian table tennis players Diya Chitale and Manush Shah, with Chitale’s late mentor Peter Engel also central to the story.
- What
- Chitale and Shah won a mixed doubles bronze medal at the Asian Games.
- When
- The medal was won on Friday, after Chitale learned of Engel’s death earlier that week.
- Where
- The competition took place at Sky Hall, with the report also referring to Toyota and Aichi-Nagoya.
- Why
- Chitale dedicated the medal to Engel and said it honored his influence on her career.
- Medal
- Bronze in mixed doubles table tennis
- Indian pairing
- Diya Chitale and Manush Shah
- Mentor
- Peter Engel, a former India table tennis coach
- Training relationship
- Chitale began training with Engel in Germany in 2015 at age 12
- Quarterfinal result
- India defeated Hong Kong’s Wong Chung Ting and Doo Hoi Kem 11-6, 13-15, 11-9, 11-5
- Semifinal result
- Chitale and Shah lost in straight games to Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha
- Future goal
- Chitale said her goal is the Olympics