Paris (France): India's flag-bearer for Paris 2024 Olympics, veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal, on Wednesday revisited the most memorable moments from his five appearances at the Summer Games so far.
The 42-year-old helped the Indian men's team qualify for the first time in history and Paris Olympics are believed to be his final Games.
The multiple-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist believes that qualifying as a team can become the catalyst of growth of table tennis in India.
Sharath, who made his first appearance in the 2004 Olympics, recalled a huge bank of memories and mentioned his most favourite of them is running into Federer at a dining hall in his debut Games.
"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 couldn't recognise who he was with his hair let loose," he said in a release from Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT).
"We pass each other -- we actually cross paths -- (and) 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's Roger Federer!".
"He was sitting at one of the tables all by himself. I went as close as possible. I didn't want to get in his place but still got close and I was eating (on the same table)," he continued. "Suddenly, a guy comes in with a reverse hat and shorts and they are clapping hands. I look at him and it's Andy Roddick," Sharath recalled.
With the Tokyo Olympics postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 38th-ranked paddler revisited the difficulties he faced in training.
"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 through 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 continued.
Despite being suffering from a knee injury, Sharath fought bravely to reach the second round of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He asserted that he was still in awe of international athletes and was observing the basketball legend Kobe Bryant's 'mamba' mentality very closely during the opening ceremony. Sharath also remembers his Athens 2004 meeting with double trap shooting silver medallist and former sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore before the final.
"Probably, I disturbed him in his alone time, but he was sitting outside and relaxing. Coach Kamlesh Mehta said, 'Come, let's go and wish him' and then we both went and he spoke very nicely, asked about my match etc," Sharath recalled.
"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," he said.
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