Set for 5th Games, Kamal feels best yet to come

Chennai, July 8

Set for his fifth Olympics appearance in Paris, Indian flag bearer Achanta Sharath Kamal believes his “best is yet to come”. The 41-year-old turned the clock back to win three gold medals, including one in men’s singles, at the Commonwealth Games in 2022. He returned empty-handed at last year’s Asian Games, but helped the men’s team clinch a historic Paris Olympics quota via world rankings following their last-16 finish at the World Table Tennis Championships in February.

“I am happy that I’m scaling new heights with each passing year, besides improving both physically and mentally. I hope the best is yet to come,” the top-ranked Indian said.

“To highlight one particular achievement from my career would not do justice to my other achievements. The Asian Games bronze (Jakarta 2018) and Commonwealth Games gold are two of the highs of my career,” said Sharath, who boasts of 13 CWG medals in his cabinet.

“I’m pretty sure I haven’t left any stone unturned. I have done everything possible from my side, and I hope the results will follow,” added Sharath, who has climbed from being world No. 88 to 34 in ITTF rankings.