Achanta Sharath Kamal is in a great space. If a movie were to be made on his life, he says he would like Vicky Kaushal to play him. In the Capital recently, he was really looking forward to exploring the city but was pressed for time. No wonder, for the Padma Shri recipient was here to receive this year’s only Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award — the country’s highest sporting honour — from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.
“It has been a great highlight in my career where a table tennis player is adjudged the best among all sportspersons. The celebrations — across the country, the table tennis fraternity and my own family members — have been on since August. I feel honoured to be in that space,” he says about the award, given for the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson in a four-year period, and accompanies a cash prize of ₹25 lakh, a medal and a scroll of honour.
The spotlight comes with its own share of expectations, but over the years, the 40-year-old has learned how to use them to fuel his game. “Without [wanting to be] the best, one cannot push physical and mental limits. That has been my source of motivation in the pursuit of excellence. It’s been a very long and illustrious career with its highs and lows. The first high was when I won the first gold medal for India at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2006, and from there on, have continued to scale new heights. The year 2018 was a great one, with three CWG medals and two Asian Games medal. And for me, it’s 2022 where I have scaled new peaks in my career with three golds and one silver,” says Sharath Kamal.
The prolific paddler, who is the son of ace table tennis coach, Dronacharya Award winner A Srinivasa Rao, started playing the sport as a four-year-old. He credits Chennai, his birthplace, for instilling passion for the sport in him very early on. “Chennai has produced top table tennis athletes since the early ’50s. With such a rich culture and tradition, it was easy for us to embark on a journey in search of excellence. Chennai also boasts a great club culture which produces champions on a regular basis with friendly rivalry among each other,” he signs off.
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