Hyderabad:Cometh the hour, cometh Achanta Sharath Kamal!With three gold medals and one silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022, Sharath is going through something of a late-career resurgence.
His formula? Practice.
The 40-year-old paddler, however, doesn’t like to dwell on the age question too much. But hopes in the same breath that the milestone he achieved inspires others.
In an exclusive chat over text messages, Sharath opens up on his recent heroics at the Commonwealth Games and what still keeps pushing him to play at the highest level and go on to achieve what can only be described as the stuff of dreams for athletes playing his age.
Excerpts:
Q. Initially, after the Tokyo Olympics, when we asked if you would feature in Paris Olympics, you chose not to clear the air completely. Going by your recent interviews, you are eyeing Paris Olympics now. What were you thinking back then and what changed during the course of time?
A. I wanted to take two years and then two years again to contemplate it. After the Tokyo Olympics, I was not very sure about Paris even though it was just three years away. My main target was Commonwealth Games, 2022 and the Asian Games. Unfortunately, the Asian Games has now moved to 2023 so that allowed me to focus completely in the 2022 Birmingham Games where I had my career-best performance. I have the confidence and the motivation to compete in Paris which is not even two years away.
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Q. Three Gold medals is an astonishing feat. How good is this? Do you think a CWG win brings a completely different value as there is more exposure to the audience through televisions and mobile phones?
A. Compared to the two gold medals I won in 2006 when Table Tennis had its first gold at the Commonwealth Games, plenty of things have changed now in 2022. There is a lot more telecast and viewership which is giving the sport its due recognition and enabling people to watch me and win matches on foreign soil. It has made the game popular and people are even idolising me much more than before. I would like to thank all of them for watching and supporting me.
Q. There have been frequent mentions of your age in interviews and even during matches. Has it ever bothered you in any way or are you comfortable setting an example to others that such milestones can be achieved at this age too if there is enough spark in the player?
A. I do feel that my age is mentioned too often. But I am playing like a 30-year-old, thanks to my fitness coach, mental coach, and my table tennis coach who have made it all possible. I am a 40-year-old, who just won three gold medals and a silver. What more can you ask? I think it's a milestone and can become a motivating factor for everyone playing or watching the sport.
Q. How grueling was CWG overall considering back-to-back matches?
A. Almost 12 matches in three days, where on the first day, I played as many as six matches in a span of close to 14 hours in the hall. This was followed up with three matches every day. It was hard for body and mind but I had come into the Games very prepared. My preparations for the Games started eight months prior to the competition as I have experience from earlier editions. I started to clock three to four sessions every day. These were not very lengthy sessions but I kept having short, intense sessions, which was a replica of what going to come in the CWG. Every morning, I woke up as fresh as I was on the first day. It was also due to the work I had put in to take care of my recovery of the body where every night, I would spend almost one and a half hours doing physio sessions, stretching, contrast bath, and ice bath.
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Q. Is an Olympic medal in Paris the ultimate?
A. Yes! That's an ultimate dream of any sportsperson across sports. For me, I am definitely aiming Paris. I also think that we have a fantastic team and we can create history.
