Dubai: The Olympic feeling is slowly sinking in. It is like a dream come true as a record four Indian table tennis players sealed a spot for the Rio de Janeiro Games at the end of the South Asian Zone qualification event held in Hong Kong earlier this month.
A little more than a week later, at least two of these four – Soumyajit Ghosh and Achanta Sharath Kamal - have been grappling with the historic fact that for the first time India will have as many as four paddlers at a Summer Olympic Games.
Ghosh and Kamal will be joined by Manika Batra and Mouma Das as India will be represented for the first time-ever by a full four-member squad in Rio de Janeiro. A maximum of two players per National Olympic Committee are allowed to compete in both the singles events.
“In a way the feeling that we have made this historic occasion has sunk in to an extent. But I still need to feel the urge to move on now,” Kamal told Gulf News after going down in his opening round match against Ting Chun Wong of Hong Kong yesterday morning.
“I’m still trying to see the benefits of playing a tough match in my very first round as it can act as an ideal warm-up before the more demanding matches to follow in the knock-out stages,” he added.
Kamal and Ghosh are among the generation of Indian table tennis players who have managed to raise the bar by being among the genuine challengers at the international stage.
India can now boast of two men’s players in the top 100 with the likelihood of a third [Harmeet Desai] also breaking in shortly. India are currently ranked No.18 in the world. “It’s only been a week really and it is difficult to maintain focus after what we have achieved,” Kamal admitted.
“In my first match I was not as aggressive as I normally am. It looked like the fire in me was missing to an extent. It hurts to lose for sure and that can only be a motivating factor for me to go all out and win the next match,” the 34-year-old said.
Kamal made his Olympic debut in Athens 2004, and has since then been a regular at all international competitions for India. In March, the Indian men’s and women’s teams scripted history by clinching gold medals at the World Table Tennis Team Championships held in Kuala Lumpur.
“That win in Kuala Lumpur has given us a lot of belief in what we are capable of,” Ghosh said.
“Table tennis is growing in India and we are feeling we can beat anyone if we can only work hard and stay focused. We have the results to prove this. First the Commonwealth Championships, then the World Championships followed by four players qualifying for an Olympics. It is now time to build on this success,” he added.
A member of the famed Siliguri Table Tennis Academy, Ghosh started playing when he was just five. An only child, he went on to turn professional when he was only 12. And since then the third year BBA student and employee of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has not looked back.
“There are 220 countries playing table tennis and India is ranked No.18. We are moving forward and we can hope for better things in the future,” Ghosh said.
