Tamil Nadu’s golden girl Rathika hopes to play for India

“I have been on a purple patch, winning gold in the last three SGFI (School Games Federation of India) tournaments from 2015 to 2017. I hope to play for India in a couple of years,” said a confident Rathika. She cruised to a convincing win over Maharashtra’s Shruti Sonawane 15-2, 20-2 in the final of the championship. 

When asked how she took to the game, she said, “I got to know about the game as it was a part of my school’s extra-curricular activities. I picked it up from there and started to work on it seriously. 

I came fifth in my first ever professional tournament in 2013, which was a district-level event. It motivated me to perform better in my upcoming endeavours.” Commenting on her preparations, the 13-year-old said, “I train for about three hours a day. My training sessions are from 5 to 6 am and from 6 to 8 pm. I have been consistently doing this for the last four years.” 

The National champion thanked her parents, school and local association for their support. “I am grateful to the assistance given by my parents, school and Madurai District Carrom Association. They have contributed a lot in my rise over the past few years,” said the Class 9 student of the Sri Aurobindo Mira MHSS.  The Madurai-born girl has a mixture of district, state and national tournaments as she prepares for a challenging 2018.  

“I am focussed on competing in many tournaments this year. I am not sure of the venues as the schedules have not been finalised. Winning district tournaments has always been my strength. I want to improve my showing at the State and National level,” she signed off.