New Delhi, July 24
Achanta Sharath Kamal has been the face of Indian table tennis for over two decades now. And the 42-year-old will make a record fifth Olympic appearance at the Paris Olympics 2024. He is also the male flag-bearer for the Indian contingent.
The multiple-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist also played a pivotal role in helping India create history as the men's team qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time in history. And Sharath pointed out time and again that qualifying as a team could become the catalyst of growth for the sport in India.
The table tennis supremo, who has also been the mainstay of the Chennai Lions team in the Ultimate Table Tennis, has been inspiring numerous young table tennis players pursuing a dream of playing for the country.
During an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis, Sharath, who made his Olympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games, spoke about his top five Olympic moments as he prepares to give his best shot at a medal in Paris.
-Unexpected lunch alongside tennis legend Roger Federer
Going to the first-ever Olympics is a special moment for any athlete. It is about soaking in the atmosphere, feeling the special vibe of the Games village and interacting with sportspeople from various disciplines.
And understandably, Sharath's top of the chart Olympic moment was when he shared a table with Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer in the dining hall in 2004. And watching the camaraderie between him and USA's Andy Roddick was just the icing on the cake.
"One day I was just out for lunch and as I was entering from this side, there was another person coming from the other side with a tennis bag and hair let loose. I feel like I have seen him somewhere. I could not recognise who he was with his hair let loose. We pass each other, we actually cross paths. He goes to give his bag at the baggage keeping area. I walk in, take my plate looking at what to eat and it suddenly strikes me. Man, it is Roger Federer," said Sharath.
"I was very shy then. So, I took something to eat and searched for him. He was sitting at one of the tables all by himself. I went as close as possible. I did not want to get in his place but still got close and I was eating [on the same table]. And then suddenly, a guy comes in with a reverse hat and shorts and they are clapping hands. I look at him and it is Andy Roddick," Sharath recalled.
-Taking a game against legendary Ma Long
China's Ma Long is regarded as one of the greatest table tennis players of all time and was coming into the Tokyo Olympics as the defending champion. The Tokyo Games had been postponed by a year due to the Covid pandemic and it had been a real struggle for Indian sportspeople to prepare well for the Games due to a long lockdown and the subsequent second wave.
Sharath had gotten the better of Portugal's Tiago Apolonia in the second round and was facing Ma Long in the third. "The match against Ma Long was one of the best I have ever played in my career. Out of the five times I have played with him, I have won just one set against him and that was in Tokyo. And I am very proud of what happened there, especially coming in after Covid."
"India had a very tough situation, especially after the second wave. People in the rest of the world started their training back and, mid-way in the lockdown in India, we were still confined to home workouts, I was playing on my terrace. It was very tough. I was training all the time in India with the limited resources we had. From that difficult mindset to getting to the Olympics and doing my best, I really feel I did well."
Sharath won the second game 11-8 but went down fighting 4-1 (7-11, 11-8, 11-13, 4-11, 4-11) in the match. Later, Ma Long went on to win the gold medal.
-A knee injury could not dampen Sharath's spirits
Sharath had qualified for his second successive Olympics and had worked hard to prepare himself for the 2008 Beijing Games by training in Europe with other top players. But just before the start of the competition, he slipped and fell during training and damaged his knee.
However, instead of getting disheartened by the injury, Sharath decided to fight it out and reached the second round after beating Spaniard Alfredo Carneros. In the second round, he faced his good friend Chen Weixing of Austria and pushed his much higher ranked opponent to five sets.
-Experiencing the 'Mamba' mentality
Although he was making his second Olympic appearance in 2008, he was still in awe of the big international stars whom he could only see at the Olympic stage. And in Beijing, the special moment for him was to watch US basketball legend Kobe Bryant in person at the opening ceremony and witness the 'Mamba' mentality from up close.
-Pep talk with Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore before he clinched historic silver
India may be aiming to reach double figures on the medals chart at the Paris 2024 but in 2004, at Sharath's first Olympic Games in Athens, winning even one medal would have been considered a big deal.
He was moving around the Games village in the evening with team coach and now Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) Secretary General Kamlesh Mehta when the latter asked him if he knew the person they were passing by. Mehta then introduced Sharath to Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who was considered to be India's best medal prospect at Athens and was scheduled to compete in the double trap final the next day.
"Probably I disturbed him in his alone time but he was sitting outside and relaxing. Coach Kamlesh Mehta said, 'Come, let us go and wish him.' And then we both went and he spoke very nicely, asked about my match, etc. He went on to win the medal and after he won the medal, it was so easy for me to go and look at the medal because I had already spoken to him the night before."
India will feature in the men's and women's team as well as individual events of table tennis in Paris and Sharath, in his fifth Olympics appearance, will be aiming to win that elusive table tennis medal for the country. After the Paris Olympics, top table tennis stars from the world will engage in a high-voltage action in the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.