Tag: Table Tennis

Achanta Sharath Kamal

Khel Ratna Award Is The Best Way To Finish 2022: Achanta Sharath Kamal

By LokMarg

Table Tennis legend and Commonwealth Games medalist Achanta Sharath Kamal said that winning three gold and one silver and receiving the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2022 is the best way to finish the year.

The CWG gold medallist will receive the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the country’s highest sporting honour, from President Droupadi Murmu on November 30 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
It is India’s highest sporting honour given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It was rechristened from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award last year.

“It is a fantastic moment. Not just for me but for the whole Table Tennis fraternity because of the kind of performances that I have had over the last three-four years. I am slowly starting to peak now in my career and the way I played the 2022 Birmingham Games. I got these three medals. Three gold and one silver. I can’t ask for more 2022 has been fantastic and this is the best way to finish 2022 with the Khel Ratna award. The government giving me this recognition. I am really happy that it has finally come now after 30 years of being in sports I have come to the stature and the best sportsperson in the country. Initially, I was the best sportsperson in Table Tennis. Slowly over the years, I have scaled up to the height where I am the best spokesperson in the country. I am really happy to get the award now,” Achanta Sharath Kamal told ANI.

Kamal will become the second TT player after Manika Batra to receive the honour, as per Olympics.com. The 40-year-old has had a great 2022, in which he won three gold medals and a silver at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier this year in August.

“Getting an award in front of family. My wife is here and a few other friends are here so really excited to go in the evening and be there. Part of the ceremony and share the moment with friends and family,” said the CWG champion.

He is the only player nominated for the award this year by India’s national sports awards selection committee, which recommended 11 players last year and five in 2020.

Speaking about the time he claimed a place in the top 50 rankings in the world and won Commonwealth Games gold Kamal said he has a fantastic career and he has come so far in it.

“I just played the sport because I liked it. I liked playing the sport. I liked going to the club and being around the kids but I think when I wanted to take the sport professionally up at the age of 15-16 at that point of time I wanted to be the best player from India to have played the sport. So, at that point in time it was like breaking into the top 50 in the world or getting a commonwealth gold but with such a long career a fantastic one I have been able to win 7 gold medals. I am really happy that I have come this far,” he added.

List of Indian athletes recommended for Arjuna Award for 2022: Seema Punia (athletics), Eldhose Paul (athletics), Avinash Sable (athletics), Lakshya Sen (badminton), HS Prannoy (badminton), Amit Panghal (boxing), Nikhat Zareen (boxing), Bhakti Kulkarni (chess), R Praggnanandha (chess), Deep Grace Ekka (hockey), Shushila Devi (judo), Sakshi Kumari (kabaddi), Nayan Moni Saikia (lawn bowls), Sagar Ovhalkar (mallakhamb), Elavenil Valarivan (shooting), Om Prakash Mitharval (shooting), Sreeja Akula (table tennis), Vikas Thakur (weightlifting), Anshu Malik (wrestling), Sarita Mor (wrestling), Parveen (wushu), Manashi Joshi (para-badminton), Tarun Dhillon (para-badminton), Swapnil Patil (para swimming), Jerlin Anika J (deaf badminton). (ANI)

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Sharath

Sharath Withdraws From National Games

By LokMarg

Veteran Indian table tennis star Sharath Kamal forfeited his quarterfinals match at the National Games 2022 eventually pulling out of the tournament on Friday.

Second-seeded Sharath Kamal had made India proud with three golds and a silver at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The table tennis events have started before the formal opening of the National Games on September 27 as the dates of the table tennis World Cup were coinciding with the schedule of pan-India games.

Kamal, leading 2-1 and 6-1 in the fourth game of his quarterfinal against seventh-seed Soumyajit Ghosh, pulled out and gave a walkover to his opponent after a back spasm restricted his movement. Even before the mandatory medical time of 10 minutes could be over, Sharath shook hands with Ghosh.

Tending his back with an icepack, Sharath said he didn’t want to aggravate it any further. “I wanted to participate in National Games, and my rhythm was nice but had to give up in the middle of the match,” he said as quoted by TTIF website.

Sathiyan, playing in his usual aggressive style, dominated except for the third game. Though Manav managed to extend him in the next two games, the top seed was never under any real threat. Local favourite Harmeet Desai, the fourth seed, simply toyed with Deepit Rajesh Patil of Maharashtra and won 4-0. But his teammate and left-handed Manush Shah, who trailed 0-2, came back strongly to beat Telangana’s SFR Snehit 4-2.

The Telangana boy, who began well, lost his touch with far too many unforced errors that helped Manush seize the crucial moments and points.

Top women’s seed Manika Batra dropped two games after opening positively but came back strong to beat Krittwika Sinha Roy 4-2 in her quarterfinal match. Suddenly she went into a shell when the Gujarat paddler raised her game to go 2-1 up. But an undeterred Manika levelled the score and finished in style, taking the fifth and sixth games. However, it was a cakewalk for second-seed Sreeja Akula into the semifinals with a 4-0 win over West Bengal’s Ayhika Mukherjee.

In the other two quarterfinals that went down to the wire, Sutirtha Mukherjee struggled before overcoming fourth-seed Reeth Rishya 4-1, causing an upset. However, the best match of the day was played between third-seed Diya Chitale and unseeded Suhana Saini.

The Haryana girl, showing her gritty side, matched every stroke of Diya and levelled the score after the Maharashtra teenager led 3-2. In the decider, however, the dice were loaded in favour of Diya, who led 5-1. Suhana did save a match point but Diya wrapped it up on her next.

Meanwhile, third-seeded Sanil Shetty, Anirban Ghosh, Anusha Kutumbale, Swastika Ghosh and Takeme Sarkar exited in the pre-quarterfinals.

Men: G. Sathiyan (TN) bt Manav Thakkar (Guj) 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 14-12, 13-11; Harmeet Desai (Guj) bt Deepit R Patil (Mah) 11-3, 11-6, 11-2, 11-9; Manush Shah (Guj) bt SFR Snehit (Telg) 3-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-9, 12-10, 11-9; Soumyajit Ghosh (Har) w/o Sharath Kamal (TN).

Semifinal line-up: G. Sathiyan vs Harmeet Desai; Soumyajit Ghosh vs Manush Shah.

Women: Manika Batra (Del) bt Krittwika Sinha Roy (Guj) 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4; Sutirtha Mukherjee (WB) bt Reeth Rishya (Mah) 11-9, 12-10, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9; Diya Chitale (Mah) bt Suhana Saini (Har) 11-5, 4-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9; Sreeja Akula (Telg) bt Ayhika Mukherjee (WB) 11-4, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4.

Semifinal line-up: Manika Batra vs Sutirtha Mukherjee; Diya Chitale vs Sreeja Akula. (ANI)

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