Hyderabad: When his fellow paddlers are busy training and adjusting their techniques for one last time before the next month's Tokyo Olympic Games, India's fifth-ranked men's paddler Harmeet Desai is preparing himself in Germany in the shadow of Olympic broadcast for the next big events.
Harmeet, who hails from Surat, is the defending champion in Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. In 2019, he defeated G Sathiyan in an exhausting final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack.
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The Commonwealth Games gold medallist, who missed the Olympic berth by a whisker for being ranked outside the top seventy, at 74, doesn't want to think too much about the missed opportunity. Instead, the 27-year-old Arjuna Award recipient wishes "all the best" to his compatriots - Sathiyan, Manika Batra, veteran Sharath Kamal and Sutirtha Mukherjee - and says he wants to see them winning medals in Tokyo, while sharing details about his training in Germany and future goal in an exclusive WhatsApp chat with Etv Bharat Sports Journalist Sudipta Biswas.
Excerpts...
Q: How many tournaments you have played in the last Olympic cycle?
Harmeet Desai: I played around 15-20 international tournaments every year from 2017-2020.
Q: Who sponsored your training and participation in competitions?
Harmeet: My international training, travelling and participation in competitions are fully sponsored by the Sports Authority of Gujarat. But competition expenses are sometimes borne by Sports Authority of India as well. I am supported by both. I am really grateful to them. I am training in Germany.
Q: From when Sports Authority of Gujarat started sponsoring you?
Harmeet: Since 2010, they have been sponsoring me.
Q: Four paddlers are going to participate in the Olympics from India. Why more Indian paddlers could not make it to the Olympic Games?
Harmeet: It is a great achievement that four paddlers have qualified for the Olympics from our country. I don't see any issue with Indian table tennis at this moment. It is a matter of pride. It proves that Indian table tennis is progressing.
Q: What message would you like to convey to your Olympics-bound compatriots?
Harmeet: I wish them all the best and wish them success. If someone wins a medal in Tokyo, the sport will become popular in India just as badminton became after Saina's (Saina Nehwal) Olympic medal in 2012.
Q: Do you feel some of the paddlers are victims of discriminatory treatment?
Harmeet: I can't comment on what kind of treatment other players get, but I haven't faced any discrimination.
Q: Right now 10 paddlers are on the Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) list. Four Olympics-bound paddlers are in the New TOPs List, while six in the TOPS Developmental Group, including you. Don't you feel more paddlers need to be inducted into the TOPs as many of the paddlers don't have sponsors and they spend from their own pockets to improve their world rankings?
Harmeet: I am not aware of the selection criteria for TOPS. Only the federation (TTFI) will be able to comment on the matter.
Q: Where are you employed right now?
Harmeet: I am currently employed at ONGC along with 10 other paddlers.
Q: Are you getting any grant from TOPs?
Harmeet: Yes, right now I am getting OPA (out of pocket allowance) INR 25,000 every month.
Q: Total how much you spent to maintain everything during the last Olympic cycle?
Harmeet: I don't remember the exact figure.
Q: Where are you training in Germany?
Harmeet: I am practicing at TTF Ochsenhausen in Biberach, Baden-Württemberg.
Q: When did you start training in Germany?
Harmeet: I started training in Germany in 2018.
Q: How did you manage training during the lockdown?
Harmeet: I was at home for seven months during the pandemic. After that long break, I came back to Germany to resume training in October 2020.
Q: How is it going on?
Harmeet: It is going really well. I am happy with the training here. Also, the COVID situation here is not as bad as in India.
Q: Who is your coach?
Harmeet: My coach is Fu Yong. He is a Chinese coach and was a great player during his time.
Q: Is he your personal coach?
Harmeet: Fu Yong is my personal coach when I am in Germany.
Q: Who is paying his fees?
Harmeet: Sports Authority of Gujarat.
Q: Are you training with German paddlers?
Harmeet: There are players from various countries like Brazil, France, Spain, the USA, Germany, Poland and Hungary. I am training with them.
Q: Are you the only paddler from India training there?
Harmeet: Yes, I am the only one from India training here.
Q: What is your next goal?
Harmeet: To get into the top 50 of the world ranking.
Q: How is the infrastructure there at TTF Ochsenhausen?
Harmeet: This centre is considered one of the best centres in the world. And it has one of the best facilities and infrastructure. The environment is very much professional. There are top-ranked players from all over the world practising here.
Q: From the technical point of view, how training in Germany has helped you?
Harmeet: It has helped me a lot. Since I have started training here my game has developed a lot in terms of technique and physical aspect. I improved my world ranking, won National Championship (2019-2020), Indonesia Open (2019), Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships (2019). So, I am really happy with the training here.
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Q: What do you do to cope with mental health issues? You are staying away from home for so long and in table tennis winning tournament always is not possible and success doesn't come easily in an individual sport. So, how challenging is it for you to play an individual sport?
Harmeet: Yes, it is indeed difficult to stay away from the family and country. But it is my desire to win medals for my country. There are challenging and tough times in every sportsperson's career, but it is very important to stay positive, keep working hard towards the goal. The ones who bounce back after tough or challenging times only become champions. That's what my approach is towards my life.
Q: What do you do when you are not training? Watch football, Euro 2020?
Harmeet: Yes, I am watching Euro. I support France and Portugal.
Q: What is your training schedule in Germany? How long you train everyday?
Harmeet: I train for around 6-8 hours daily. 9-12:30 (local time) and 3:45PM to 7PM (local time). I give equal time to physical training and playing.
