New Delhi. In terms of performance with age, table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal wants to win an Olympic medal before saying goodbye to the game and a brilliant performance at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games has raised her spirits. Forty-year-old Sharath won four medals at the Birmingham Games. He won gold in mixed doubles and after 16 years he also won gold in singles.
Sharath, who has been playing for the last two decades, has no intention of retiring yet and wants to play for two more years to win an Olympic medal. He told PTI, ‘It felt good to perform a personal best in the Commonwealth. This time I won four medals. Fitness is the key to success and I have been working hard to keep myself fit. I always want to keep my body and mind fit because there is a lot of agility in the youth and I have to compete with them.
The hunger to win medals is still there, said Sharath, who has won 13 medals in the Commonwealth Games and two bronze medals in the Asian Games 2018. I always want to perform better. Right now I am thinking of two years, we can qualify for the team event in Paris Olympics and win a medal. This is process. After the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and then the Olympics.
India’s most successful table tennis player said that the scenario of this game has changed in India. He said, ‘The popularity of table tennis has increased in the country and I am happy that we can inspire the coming generation with our performance. Earlier my ranking was 130 which is now 38 and Sathiyan’s ranking is 36. We never had players with such a high ranking.
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Tags: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Commonwealth Games
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 15, 2022, 16:00 IST