Achanta Sharath Kamal is in a fantastic house. If a film have been to be made on his life, he says he would love Vicky Kaushal to play him. Within the Capital lately, he was actually wanting ahead to exploring the town however was pressed for time. No marvel, for the Padma Shri recipient was right here to obtain this yr’s solely Main Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award — the nation’s highest sporting honour — from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.
“It has been a fantastic spotlight in my profession the place a desk tennis participant is adjudged the perfect amongst all sportspersons. The celebrations — throughout the nation, the desk tennis fraternity and my family members — have been on since August. I really feel honoured to be in that house,” he says concerning the award, given for essentially the most spectacular and excellent efficiency by a sportsperson in a four-year interval, and accompanies a money prize of ₹25 lakh, a medal and a scroll of honour.
The highlight comes with its personal share of expectations, however through the years, the 40-year-old has discovered the best way to use them to gasoline his sport. “With out [wanting to be] the perfect, one can not push bodily and psychological limits. That has been my supply of motivation within the pursuit of excellence. It’s been a really lengthy and illustrious profession with its highs and lows. The primary excessive was after I gained the primary gold medal for India on the Commonwealth Video games (CWG) 2006, and from there on, have continued to scale new heights. The yr 2018 was a fantastic one, with three CWG medals and two Asian Video games medal. And for me, it’s 2022 the place I’ve scaled new peaks in my profession with three golds and one silver,” says Sharath Kamal.
The prolific paddler, who’s the son of ace desk tennis coach, Dronacharya Award winner A Srinivasa Rao, began taking part in the game as a four-year-old. He credit Chennai, his birthplace, for instilling ardour for the game in him very early on. “Chennai has produced prime desk tennis athletes for the reason that early ’50s. With such a wealthy tradition and custom, it was simple for us to embark on a journey seeking excellence. Chennai additionally boasts a fantastic membership tradition which produces champions frequently with pleasant rivalry amongst one another,” he indicators off.
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