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Sharath Kamal has been an incredibly important force in India's table-tennis journey, and as the veteran vies for his fifth Olympics, all eyes will be on him at the Games. Recently, the star paddler was announced as India's flagbearer for the opening ceremony in July, a decision which left some irked.
The Tamil Nadu Athletics Association hit out at the IOA’s decision to choose the 41-year-old for the honor instead of Olympic gold-medalist and defending champion Neeraj Chopra, going as far as to call Kamal a ‘nondescript sportsman’.
In the midst of all this, Sharath Kamal, the seven-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist and two-time Asian Games podium-finisher, remains unfazed.
Speaking to Sportstar on the issue, the paddler said he is happy to leave the politics to others and focus on his game,
“I didn’t ask for it, and I don’t want to address it. There’s nothing much I have to prove. I have proved all that I have to, and the questions raised are, I feel, a lot more political than having actual substance. I don’t do politics. I do sports. So, let me do my sport, and I’m happy doing that.”
Sharath Kamal opens up on his preparations for the Paris Olympics
As the 2024 Paris Olympics approaches, athletes across the globe will be doubling down on their training, adding the final touches of perfection to their game.
The story is no different for Sharath Kamal, who spoke to Sportstar about what his training schedule will look like in the coming months. In April, the paddler will go through a rigorous on-court and off-court program, before slowly switching out the long hours for high intensity as the Games get closer.
“The first three weeks in April are going to be very hard. I’m spending almost three hours in the gym and three on the table. We’re going to mix that up for three weeks in April. Then, as we slowly get into May, we will spend more time in the hall. So, four to five hours of table tennis, one to one-and-a-half hours of fitness.”
“As it comes to June and July, 45 minutes of fitness because that is how much a match takes. Within that period, it has to be intense, and it has to be as rigorous as possible because that’s how a match is.”
For Sharath Kamal, the Paris Olympics come exactly 20 years after his debut at the Games. The first time the Indian played on such a big stage was in 2004 Athens, before going on to qualify for Beijing 2008, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.
Going into Paris with these two decades of experience, the main change for Sharath Kamal will be in his mental approach to the event. While the paddler intends to push himself to his limits, he isn't going to be putting life on pause anymore as he chases his targets.
“For this Olympics, what is going to change for me is more mental, where I’m not going to hit through the wall. I’m going to push myself physically, but I also have some deviations. Not distractions, but deviations. In terms of spending a little bit more time with family, or if I want to have a meal with a friend, I will do that.”
So far, India has never medaled in table tennis at the Games. However, going into Paris, the country's shuttlers have already made history, qualifying for both the men's and women's team events for the first time. For Kamal, this will be his final outing at the Games, and fans will be excited to see what he makes of it.
