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With almost a dozen international medals under his belt, Achanta Sharath Kamal is arguably the best table tennis player to come out of India. He will be one of the biggest bets for India to win an Olympic medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Sharath will represent India in the men's singles and mixed doubles events. In the mixed team category, he will partner with the 26-year-old talented paddler from Delhi, Manika Batra.
Biography
Born in the hub of national champions Tamil Nadu, Achanta Sharath Kamal took up table tennis at the age of only four. The sport ran in the blood of the family members and that worked wonders for young Sharath.
His father Srinivasa Rao and uncle Muralidhar Rao had played table tennis and took up coaching. While Sharath had access to good training at a young age, he found the age-group categories challenging.
At the age of 15, he was the crux of his life where he had to choose between engineering and table tennis, just like lakhs of other Indians. Sharath chose table tennis and his life changed forever.
Initially, Sarath found it difficult to make an impression at the national level, struggling for consistency. But a call-up to the 16-member probable squad for the 2002 Commonwealth Games was enough to launch his career.
Ever since, he has won many competitions and has brought accolades for India.
How old is Achanta Sharath Kamal?
Born on July 12, 1982 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Sharath is a 38-year-old veteran. While he is potentially at the sunset of his career, the dream of winning an Olympic medal keeps the engine running.
Speaking to TNIE, Achanta Sharath Kamal admitted that the hunger to win a medal on the biggest stage keeps him motivated at this age. He said:
"Post the 2018 Asian Games where we won a medal for the first time in 60 years, my goal is to win an Olympic medal which keeps me motivated."
What are Achanta Sharath Kamal's achievements?
An aggressive paddler, Sharath won his first national title in 2003 and his first international medal at the 2004 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships.
Achanta Sharath Kamal's stock went higher as he booked a place at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He has not looked back ever since and has won nine national championships, the most by an Indian. He broke Kamlesh Mehta's record of winning the event eight times.
He had a breakthrough year in 2006 when he won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. In the next couple of years, Sharath played in Sweden and Germany to hone his skills and get international exposure.
The overseas stints did wonders as he became the first Indian table tennis player to win an ITTF Pro Tour title. He defeated Hong Kong’s Li Ching in the final to win the Egypt Open in 2010. Achanta Sharath Kamal won two more Commonwealth Games golds in 2010 before witnessing a slump in form.
The experienced paddler fought his way back to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, but didn't taste any success. He once again reached the peak of his form when he won four medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and backed it up with two bronze medals at the 2018 Asian Games.
In 2019, Sharath attained a career-best ranking of 30 and the following year won his second international title - the Oman Open - almost a decade after his first.
Achanta Sharath Kamal was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2004 and in 2019 he received the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award.
Earnings
Achanta Sharath Kamal is currently employed with the Indian Oil Corporation as an officer. According to various reports, he has a net worth of $1-5 million.
Performance in the previous Games and expectations at the Tokyo Olympics
So far, Achanta Sharath Kamal has participated in 3 Olympic events - Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and Rio in 2016. He has participated in men's singles events and is yet to taste Olympic success.
Currently ranked 32, Sharath will participate in the men's singles event as well as the mixed team category alongside Manika Batra. The veteran paddler will look to sign off with a medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
