'Question Isn't Why Not, It Is Why Now?': Achanta Sharath Kamal's Time-Bending Dance And The Art Of Switching Jersey For Suit

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Last Updated:March 30, 2025, 07:47 IST

As he walks off into the sunset following a fabled career, legendary Indian paddler Sharath Kamal opens up on his plans moving forward while also reflecting on the journey that has redefined a sport for millions across the sprawling nation.

The last three or four repetitions are what make the muscle grow. This area of pain differentiates the champion from someone else who is not a champion. – Arnold Schwarzenegger

What is the mark of a champion? Is it about finishing off with a flurry and ending a chapter of your life dedicated to a craft on a high? Or is it the tendency to help fledglings on their way to the pinnacle during or after your heyday?

Legendary Indian Table Tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal, who has been synonymous with the sport in the nation since his debut over two decades ago, sat down with News18.com ahead of the WTT Star Contender for an exclusive as he reflected on a career spanning aeons and a legacy that will surely hold strong in the annals of the game long after he walks into the sunset.

Sharath Kamal has been at the forefront of the sport for longer than the event itself has been in vogue. And the 42-year-old who decided to pull the curtains down on an iconic career at the end of the ongoing WTT Star Contender event jested about how he crossed the threshold of ‘a retirement age’ a while ago before elucidating on the factors that kept him pushing past perceptions.

“Basically, what I keep telling everyone is I’m way past my retirement age. That should have happened around six to eight years ago, but then the highs that I saw in the last six to eight years have been phenomenal. And the highs kept going higher and higher year after year," said the Chennai-born paddle stalwart.

The five-time Olympian, who carried the Indian flag at the creative Paris 2024 Olympics opening rally, revealed that he did not plan to compete at Tokyo, let alone the subsequent one in the French capital city, but the milestone he managed to hit towards the latter part of his storied career ended up boosting his time on the circuit.

“So, after 2016, I wanted to see what was in stock. I didn’t plan for 2020, Tokyo after Rio. I said, okay, let me see, let me take two years at a time now, because the Commonwealth Games is coming. After the Commonwealth Games, let me see if I can go in for Tokyo, if my mind is letting me do that."

“You know, physically, I’ve always been a strong athletic guy. Mental part is what is the tougher thing."

“To have that motivation on the daily grind, getting through that, you know, to those tough losses day in and day out. That was what was challenging."

The two-time Asiad medallist stated that the bronze medals he clinched in Indonesia in 2018 served to be a milestone and a harbinger of things to come as he turned his sight to Tokyo, which was ultimately pushed a year further into 2021 due to the pandemic.

“And after 2018 happened, then, I hit a high there at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games in 2022. First time in 60 years, got those medals at the Asian Games. Then I thought, okay, let’s try it on for another two years. And then I thought Tokyo would be the last one. But then, unfortunately, COVID happened and then it moved to 2021, which again gave me another year’s time for the Commonwealth Games."

Sharath Kamal, who has fond memories of the Olympics in Japan despite not coming back with a podium finish, went on to increase his Commonwealth Games medal tally to an awe-inspiring 13 at the Birmingham edition as he added four more medals on English soil, three of which were gold, to his already brimming collection of accolades at the ‘friendly games’.

“So, 2021, Tokyo happened. I played fantastically well. I had one of my best and most memorable matches there against the Olympic champion Malong. And then 2022, Commonwealth Games was just around the corner. You know, it was just one month, one year from there. So, it was pretty easy to get there."

Sharath Kamal, who iterated that he came to the decision of hanging up his boots during the sporting spectacle in Paris, added that he believes it is time for him to move into the suit-wearing lobbyist role after years in sweat-absorbing jerseys for the ultimate betterment of the game he so dearly loves.

“Every time I thought about retirement, there was something which got better. So, then at Paris, I thought probably this is my last time coming for the Olympic Games."

“And then after that, after two, three months prior down the line, I felt like, okay, I’ve done my part as a player. I’ve contributed as a player. I feel I can give a lot more back as an administrator, as a high-performance director, as a person who’s been the face of the sport."

“I can connect the bridge between the players, the administration, the corporates, the government. And I felt like, okay, now is the right time that I can do it."

“And I always wanted to go out on a high. That was something which I always thought about four, five years ago also. And I’m really happy that I’m doing that even at this stage."

“So, the question of, it’s not why not? It’s why now?"

Sharath Kamal, who hails from a long lineage of coaches, opined that he leans towards the role of an administrator, considering the sheer volume of players on whom he can have an impact on, leveraging the gold-dust surrounding his name after all his battles at the very top of the sport.

“I come from a background of coaching. My father, uncle, younger brother, all of them into coaching. They have a lot of academies, and they’ve been doing this day in and day out for a very long time. So, for me personally, I thought that if I’m going to be a coach, then I’m going to compete with the other coaches. And I might be able to impart knowledge only to a certain group of individuals."

“But then if I am able to groom the coaches, if I’m able to build up a structure and system which will help Indian table tennis, that is what the bigger picture is."

“And I felt that the expectations are pretty high. If I become the Indian team coach, of course, it’s a good job. It’s a respected job. But I feel like I will be focusing only on certain individuals. But I feel like I can give a lot more. I can contribute a lot more to the whole ecosystem as such."

“Bringing in the corporates, I think that’s something which we need. The sport needs financial stability and financial structure."

“And for that, a face like me, named with the credibility that I come with, needs to be there standing, trying to bridge the gap between the corporates, the administration and the players."

When you have endured the test of time like Sharath has, you are bound to experience a marked jump in terms of the sporting landscape, and the 42-year-old reminisced over how long and far the game he loves has come ever since he picked up the paddle as a young, starry-eyed lad.

“Can’t compare," he beamed.

“Can’t compare to the times before 2015, let’s say. It was more, we were pretty amateurish in the sense, the way the structure was."

“We would play very few tournaments. I moved into Europe because I needed that kind of a setup. I needed to be in the professional circuit, understand and practice with some of the best players in the world, train with them, and compete against them."

Sharath Kamal took pride in the developments the game has witnessed in the nation in the recent past with the emergence of WTT and UTT events trying to push the sport into the mainstream. The veteran paddler also touched upon the necessity to serve as a yardstick against which other nations measure up to as a crucial component in furthering a country’s sporting ambitions.

“And that scenario has changed now from 2016 onwards. A lot of international events are happening in India. The UTT has been happening in India. So, the youngsters are also traveling across the globe for many international tournaments."

“We are not afraid anymore to beat some of the best players in the world. And the most important goal that I see is to be there. Of course, now the target is to beat the best at this very moment. But sooner or later, we have to be the best. There have to be other people who are looking at beating us."

“We need to get to that situation where we are the best in the business, in the field of sport, table tennis."

“So, yeah, it’s a lot more professional now. There are a lot more opportunities for the players in terms of exposure, training, travel, tournaments and in terms of acquiring knowledge also."

Taking precedent from the leaps and bounds of improvement over the past decade the TT icon lauded the progressive mindset that seems to be prevalent in the sphere of sports. Kamal’s achievements through the ages have served as a beacon of hope and guiding light for the younger generations, who seem to be towing the path the 42-year-old trailblazer left in his wake towards growth and sustenance.

“I think the path forward looks very bright. And the last, as I say, the last eight years has been really good for Indian table tennis. And we’ve set such good benchmarks for the youngsters that like, let’s say, for example, qualifying to the Olympic Games in the team championships or the mixed doubles. Now, it’s no more a mere target to just qualify for the Olympic Games, but then looking at, okay, how do we get to the quarterfinals? How do we get to the semifinals? And probably, how do we get that medal?"

“That’s how players are also thinking. So, it’s a very progressive mindset that the Indian table tennis players are having. And we are inching there. We are slowly moving ahead there. And hopefully, when we have all our resources aligned with the same vision, we’ll all get there pretty soon."

With India angling at the unparalleled thrill of being able to host the Olympic spectacle sometime in the near future, Kamal hammered home his excitement over the idea of the same and plans to roll back the years to when he was a spectator basking in the glory of the one true universal language- good old-fashioned sport.

“If India is able to host the Olympic Games in 2036 or 2040 or anytime around that time, more than being an administration or any committee there, I would love to be part of the spectators, let’s say, and cheer for the Indian kids. And hopefully, the podium finish is there."

“I think that’ll be the dream come true. A dream which I couldn’t achieve as a player. But, yeah, of course, again, no regrets from where I’ve come. I’ve come a very long way. But again, an Olympic medal is a dream of every athlete who plays sport."

As Sharath Kamal turns the lights off on an illustrious career, it is probably befitting that Achilles’ road winds down at the place where it all began- his own hometown of Chennai. A bit of a nod to Paulo Coelho’s ‘Alchemist’. And as he expressed with his retirement announcement, Sharath Kamal’s penchant for things ‘coming full circle’, stands to mark the beauty in the simplicity of the most important things in life.