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Soumyajit Ghosh, lovingly known as the “The Royal Bengal Tiger”, is the youngest player ever to win a senior National TT Championship. He defeated one of India’s best players, Sharath Kamal in the final.
Having been the first Indian TT player to have won a round at the Olympics, this young paddler with great potential, plans to break into top 30 soon.
1. What is it like to be the youngest Senior National Champion?
I am so happy that I won the Senior National Championship 2013. I’m thankful to the Table Tennis Federation of India, my coaches (Peter Karlsson, Bhawani Mukherji, Mantu Ghosh, Subrata Roy) and my parents.
2. What was going on in your mind before going the finals?
I was seeded No.1 in the tournament but I was thinking that I shouldn’t make too much of it because if I did I wouldn’t have been able to handle the pressure and then I wouldn’t have given my 100 percent. So I was trying to fool myself and told myself that I’m an underdog here.
3. How difficult was Sharath as an opponent?
Sharath is one of the greatest players in India, so it’s always tough to beat him. He’s quite strong mentally too. I got a lot of confidence after beating him in the final.
4. You participated in the Olympics and also won a match there. What experience did you gain from there and how are you using it?
I think the Olympics was a much more intense and pressure-filled tournament than this tournament. I keep trying to take the confidence from the Olympics forward and tell myself: if I can win 1st round in Olympics than I can win here in India.
5. What is your training program like?
I have been training in Sweden (Falkenberg Club) under Peter Karlsson (World Champion) since 2009. But this year I’ve started to play in the professional league in Sweden. That gives me great confidence and encourages me to work even more on my fitness.
6. What keeps you motivated?
My coach Peter Karlsson always says I have potential to be in top 30 in the world. My goal is to be in top 30 in the world.
7. What immediate aims do you have in mind?
My next most important tournament is the Commonwealth Championship, which will be held at New Delhi from 5th May 2013. I want to go out and try to win gold.
8. Your strong performances must have helped you get a lot of sponsors.
My equipment sponsor is TIBHAR and I have been supported by GO SPORTS Foundation. I am currently working in BPCL and I need more financial support to play more international tournaments and attend various training camps around the world.
9. What do you think can be done to popularize TT more in our country?
Honestly, we have been getting very good support from our federation and we are expecting the same in the future. Personally, I feel we have to perform more in the international tournaments to popularize our game, especially tournaments like the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the Olympics.
