EXCLUSIVE: Playing in Olympics childhood dream; target is to beat top-ranked players, says Sutirtha Mukherjee

Talking about Sutirtha, her mother Nita Mukherjee said, "I am proud of her. She will play in the Olympics is a huge achievement for us. She hardly played in international tournaments as she had no sponsor. Coming from a middle-class background to play in the Olympic Games is a big thing." Sutirtha said if she could return home with a medal that would be a blessing for her.

Hyderabad:For India's No. 2 women's singles table tennis player Sutirtha Mukherjee, playing in the 2020 Olympics Games is going to be a dream come true moment and she is confident of pulling off some surprising victories over the top paddlers at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, the designated venue for table tennis matches, in her maiden Olympic appearance.

On the eve of her departure from Kolkata to Delhi, where she will assemble with other athletes and officials ahead of a 90-member Indian contingent's scheduled departure for Tokyo on July 17, the Bengal paddler said she is really excited and earnestly looking forward to playing in the Tokyo Olympics.

"I am really happy as playing in the Olympics has been my childhood dream. I have seen others playing in the Olympics. From a very young age I dreamt of playing in the Olympics. So, it is going to be a dream come true moment for me," the paddler told ETV Bharat as she took stock of her baggage and kits for one last time.

Well prepared for Tokyo Olympics

The 25-year-old, who defeated Manika Batra, regarded as the face of women's table tennis in India, in the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Doha in March this year to confirm her Olympic berth, feels her preparations for the Olympics has been "very good" and for that, she wants to thank her coaches — former national champions Soumyadeep Roy and Poulomi Ghatak — whom she joined seven years back in Jadavpur.

For Sutirtha Mukherjee, UTT was the only platform to have some competition time as she lacked sponsors during the last Olympic cycle.

"My preparation has been very good. I would like to thank Soumyadeep Roy sir and Poulomi Ghatak madam as they have put in a huge effort for me. Today I am going to play in the Olympics because of their dedication and confidence in me," said Sutirtha, before adding, "During the pandemic, they made sure my preparation for the Olympics didn't suffer. It is due to their effort that I could practice even amid the peak of the pandemic which helped me to qualify for the Olympics earlier this year. Last month I was training at Sonipat centre. Then I came back to Kolkata to train under Soumyadeep sir and Poulomi madam to fine-tune my preparations ahead of the Olympics. Apart from my parents, who have always been with me, they made a lot of sacrifices to help me come to this level."

Roller coaster journey

Sutirtha, who originally hails from Naihati, a suburb located around 42km away from Kolkata, has had a roller coaster journey in her quest to become a high calibre paddler. In 2015, she was suspended for a year by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) for alleged age fraud which ruined her dream of making the Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro five years back.

Reflecting on her journey from a small-town girl to becoming an international paddler, she said, "Coming from a small town to qualify for the Olympics is quite a long and tough journey for me. But it is the same for many others as well. Beyond all, I am very happy today as I am going to play in the Olympics."

“Getting banned for a year was the most challenging period for me,” said the two-time national champion. “Sitting out for one year is a massive blow. When I was suspended, I was so broken that I couldn't think about playing again. I was then the No. 1 player in India. But my parents and coach Soumyadeep sir helped me to recover from the heartbreak. Gradually I resumed training and pledged to make a comeback. As I couldn't make it to the Olympics back then, my main aim was to confirm my place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," added Sutirtha, who is not part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

Badminton was first choice

However, it was her destiny that made her a table tennis player. She was supposed to be a badminton player as per her mother, Nita Mukherjee's wish who always wanted her bulky daughter to play an indoor sport. But due to lack of facilities for badminton, Sutirtha was enrolled in table tennis as his locality has had a coach and a bunch of enthusiastic paddlers training at the Youth Association Club in Naihati under coach Mihir Ghosh.

After she learned the basics of table tennis from Ghosh, her parents — Nita and Abhijit Mukherjee, who works in Ichhapur Defence Estate — insisted on her advanced training in Kolkata. In 2014, she shifted to Jadavpur to train under Soumyadeep Roy and Poulomi Ghatak. However, travelling between Naihati and Kolkata was taking a toll on her body. So, her parents decided to take a rented house in Jadavpur in a bid to cut down her travelling time.

Now, as she is set for the pandemic postponed Olympics, she paid tribute to her mother since she has been the driving force behind her elevation to the top echelon of table tennis.

Sutirtha Mukherjee is in action during a UTT women's singles match.

"My mother has always encouraged me to take up the sport. She wanted me to play an indoor sport as she is passionate about that. She even played a bit in her youth. One day she took me to the Youth Association Club where coach Mihir Ghosh trains players. But as I am bulky he told my mother that he would take me up only if I do well. Once he found that I have natural reflexes he agreed to take me under his wing. In my childhood I didn't perform badly in tournaments I participated in. Later we moved to Jadavpur for better facilities. My parents took a rented house for me. In all these years, my game correspondingly improved," recollected Surtirtha, who works in the South Eastern Railway as an Upper Division Clerk.

Mother's pride

Asked about her feelings about her daughter going to play in the Olympics, Nita Mukherjee said, "I am proud of Sutirtha. She will play in the Olympics is a huge achievement for us. She hardly played in international tournaments as she had no sponsor. Coming from a middle-class background to play in the Olympic Games is a big thing. I used to tell her: you have already played at CWG, Asian Games and World Championships, "Ma, tui jodi paris, ekbar Olympic a khelis." (if you can, please try to play in the Olympics). So, that dream is going to be true, and that too she made it to the Olympics beating national champion Manika Batra in the Asian qualifier."

"Sutritha could not play in the nationals this year. Batra won the national title, so I am happy as she qualified beating her in the Asian Olympic Qualifier," added Mrs. Mukherjee.

On being asked about her target in her maiden Olympics, which is set to start on July 23, the World No. 98, Sutirtha, who plays for Haryana in the nationals, said she wants to return home with "good results".

"This is my first Olympics. So I want to come back home with good results. My target will be to beat top-ranked players and improve my rankings. If I could return home with a medal that would be a blessing for me," she said with serenity.

— By Sudipta Biswas