IU freshmen Sharon and Gal Alguetti fell short of their Olympic aspirations in Santa Monica, California, this weekend.
The brothers were unable to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic table tennis team for the second consecutive time. Sharon finished fifth, leaving him out of the top two rankings needed to make the squad.
A sixteen-player field split into two separate groups made up the first round of the event. The top four from each respective division moved on to the second and final round.
Gal was eliminated from contention following the first stage, after he recorded a 3-4 mark in group one. Sharon advanced to the second round robin group after holding a 4-3 record.
In the second second stage, with eight total competitors left, the players with the best two records would seize the two open spots to represent the U.S. in Tokyo this summer.
If the brothers had made the team in 2016, they would have been the youngest U.S. Olympic athletes since Michael Phelps. Sharon was close to making the official roster in 2016 too, taking fourth place.
Sharon and Gal led the IU table tennis club to an Upper Midwest Divisional Tournament title in late January. They are both currently studying in the Kelley School of Business.
