Paris 2024 Olympics: ‘Extremely proud of being joint flag-bearer for India,’ says Sharath Kamal
Approaching his fifth and final Olympics, Indian table tennis legend, A. Sharath Kamal, is extremely proud of being the joint flag-bearer for the country in the Paris Olympics. He is even more delighted that some of his childhood friends are coming down to Paris to witness the special moment.
Apart from the excitement of his family members, Sharath spoke about the joy of having his friends. “Some of my old table tennis friends are also coming to Paris to cheer me on. They are school friends. They were playing table tennis and now they are coming to watch the Olympics. One is coming from the US, one from Dubai and two from Chennai,” Sharath told Sportstar on Wednesday.
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The 42-year-old is flooded with good wishes from his international friends as well. “They also have a lot of pride because they know me as a person. The longevity has helped me make a lot of friends. All of them are very happy that I am able to do this. I’ve got a lot of messages and wishes. I played with them in the German league in 2010. They have all quit, now they are saying, ‘We all stopped, you are still going on. Keep it up, keep doing well. They are also proud that I am a flag bearer.”
Sharath said he was privileged to share the role of the flag-bearer with double Olympic medallist shuttler P.V. Sindhu. “How proud is that moment! Two-time Olympic medallist, silver and bronze medals, she keeps calling me ‘brother, anna.’ It’s almost like we talk in the same language, almost like family. For me it’s a fantastic moment.”
Looking back at other proud moments in the Olympics, Sharath said, “In 2008 I had a fantastic performance. I played Round of 32 there. After 12 years in Tokyo, I played a fantastic match.
“The world came out with a positive note in Japan. I would say sport was able to help the world speak about something else. Of course the world was going through a tough time, but I think the mood changed after the Olympics. Really happy that sport was able to do that.”
Asked whether it’s taxing to compete with younger athletes, Sahrath said, “The physical taxation doesn’t hurt me. The mental part is very tough. In so many years to have that mindset, to go in and be aggressive, is something which changes over time.”