Ping-pong challenger eyes glory

Achanta Sharath Kamal is aware of the tough competition at Beijing. But the country’s top paddler says he has the ability to vie with the best and come out on top. “I know there will be no easy matches at the Olympics. But in the past I’ve shown that I can stand my ground against the top players,” said Sharath from Spain, where he is preparing for the Olympics since April.

He was a novice when he participated in Athens. Four years ago, he was knocked-out in the second round. But since then he has come a long way.

“I’ve become technically very sound and much quicker than what I was four years ago. Earlier, I pre-dominantly played from the forehand side, but now I’m equally efficient on the backhand side as well,” he said.

“Going by my form card, I believe that I can enter the pre-quarterfinals.

But nothing can be said. I hope that I don’t come across a top-20 player in the first round. It’s always better to have an easier opening round. Ask any player and that’s the reply you will get,” said Sharath, who is the first Indian to win an individual gold in the
Commonwealth Championship in 2004.
Sharath will now head to Barcelona for his final preparation before the Olympics. To give him company will be two German players - Wosik Torden and Peter Franz - both ranked inside the top-100. He will also practice against a couple of Chinese players, who have made Spain there base. Sharath feels his stint at Barcelona will help him immensely. “All the players have different styles. Some are aggressive, while some are defensive. Overall, it will give me good practice,” he added.

Sharath turned 26 on Saturday. He promises to be as aggressive as ever, that is across a table. “If the opponent adopts a defensive technique it could put me off in the past. But now I have worked around that problem,” he said.