Khel ratna award

Paris Olympic Games: In a career spanning over two decades, table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal has seen Indian sports grow from a country bagging one medal at the Olympic Games to eight at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021. In this period, the 41-year-old Sharath, who will be participating in his fifth Olympic Games in Paris in July-August this year, has seen Indian table tennis too grow from also-rans to medal contenders in the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and other international competitions.

It is these developments in the sport, the support from sports science, international experts, and the government, has bolstered Sharath Kamal's hope that table tennis could reach its pinnacle and contribute to India's medal count in Paris by winning a maiden medal or two in table tennis.

This is also the medal missing from the closet of Sharath Kamal, which is populated by medals won at the Commonwealth Games, including three gold and a silver medal in the 2022 edition in Birmingham and bronze medals at the Asian Games and Asian Championships.