Jarvis misses out on Tokyo 2020

Tom Jarvis missed out on a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics when Great Britain were knocked out of the qualifying tournament in Portugal.
Jarvis, second left, with the GB team.Jarvis, second left, with the GB team.
Jarvis, second left, with the GB team.

Skegness athlete Jarvis featured in a squad which also included Rio 2016 Olympians Liam Pitchford, Paul Drinkhall and Sam Walker, and they knew it was their only chance to earn a place among the 16 nations which will contest the team event in Tokyo.

With three players in each fixture, Rio 2016 reserve Jarvis did not take to the table during the tournament as things started well enough for the seventh seeds with a 3-0 defeat of Argentina.

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That put GB into a play-off against ninth seeds Croatia, in which the winner would confirm their place at the Olympics – but GB were beaten 3-0, though each match was close.

That meant GB’s only hope was in winning three matches to finish top of the second stage of qualifying. They were drawn against 17th-ranked Hungary and surprisingly went down 3-1, ending their chance of booking a place at the Olympics.