Sharath Kamal Sets Sights On Tokyo Olympics

India’s no.1 paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal on Monday said he was happy with the way he was playing adding that there was a possibility of him trying to qualify for three events at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

“There is a possibility for me to qualify for three events (men’s singles, men’s team and the mixed doubles) at the Tokyo Olympics, which has never happened before,” he told reporters here. He said though mixed doubles was not his cup of tea, he seemed to found the right match with Manika Batra, with whom he won a bronze medal in the just-concluded Asian Games in Indonesia.

“Mixed doubles is not my cup of tea. The boss is the woman there. They set up the game while men finish the rally. I couldn’t find the right match all these years but with Manika, I am able to,” the lanky paddler, who won a bronze medal in the men’s team event apart from the mixed doubles, said.

Sharath Kamal said it was a childhood dream to win a medal at the Asian Games and thanked those who had shaped his career. “It was a childhood dream to win a medal at the Asiad. My coaches used to emphasise on shining at the international arena and making the country proud. Big thanks to people who helped me shape my career.”

He further said winning a medal at the Asiad showed that India can even achieve a podium at the Olympics, adding it indicated a forward vision. “This medal is an indication that we are capable of making it to the podium even at the Olympics. Seven of the top 10 countries in the sport are from Asia. To win a medal there is such a boost. It gives us a forward vision (ahead of the Olympics). Winning a medal at the Asiad is close to bagging a medal at the World Championships or the Olympics. It is a good milestone to judge if we are close to making it big at the Olympics,” the Chennai-based player said.

Sharath said going into the Asiad, the thought was that there was a slim chance of winning a medal if there was a favourable draw and luckily things went the team’s way. “Ahead of the Games, we thought that there was only a slim chance (to win a medal). We were hoping for a favourable draw and were raring to play our best possible game. Fortunately, it panned out the way we wanted it to be,” he added.

To a query on how long he could go on, the Indian number one, who has won multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games including this year’s edition at Gold Coast, said he felt fitter and ‘it can go on’. “I am way fitter than what I was. A lot of changes have happened in the last three years. I have moved back to India and training a lot here. I don’t have the pressure of playing matches week in and week out now. I am able to invest more timing into training. I can even play till 2024 (laughs). The way it’s going, I will only have to get permission from my wife. I have been delivering my best and things are on a roll. Everything is going fine. If I manage to stay fit and motivated, it can go on. I am keeping it open,” he remarked.

Sharath also said the players were doing well and the federation and government were backing them, which was helpful for the paddlers to succeed in international tournaments. “We are getting the right kind of funding and we are able to put it for the right kind of exposure. That is helping us all do well in the international scene. In the last two years, we have been consistently beating top-ranked players in every tournament we go,” he signed off.