Sharath Kamal exited from the Tokyo Olympics 2020 as he lost to reigning world and Olympic champion Ma Long in five tough games and this could very well be his last.
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When the round 3 announcements came in Table Tennis for Tokyo Olympics 2020, the heart sank for a billion Indians. Sharath Kamal, one of the last remaining players from India in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, was up against Ma Long of China. The Chinese TT player is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. In addition, he was the Olympic and world champion. Ma Long has achieved every title that is there in Table Tennis. For Sharath Kamal, it meant achieving the impossible.
There was hope in the match. The way Sharath Kamal won the second game showed how much it meant to him. The passion and precision with which Sharath Kamal tackled Ma Long was simply a delight to watch. But, like a wounded warrior, Ma Long showed his brilliance and won the next three games in under 10 minutes to win the match and storm into the next round.
If one has to look at the contributions of the Indian Table Tennis players in Tokyo Olympics 2020, it was the best when compared to Rio 2016 or London 2012.
If one has to brutally dispassionate about the performance, everyone might agree that it was a disaster. But, a closer look reveals that the performance of Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra and Sutirtha Mukherjee actually represented progress. Agreed, the benchmark for success and achievements especially for Indian Table Tennis is low. But, when you compare it with Rio 2016, it was actually a leap.
In the first day of Rio 2016 itself in Table Tennis, Sharath Kamal, Batra, Mouma Das and Soumyajit Ghosh all crashed out in the first round itself. Soumyajit Ghosh reached the second round while Ankita Das lost in the first round in London 2012.
In Tokyo, all the Table Tennis players went past the first round. Batra reached the third round while Mukherjee reached round 2. But, Sharath Kamal was faced with the massive task of taking care of Ma Long. But, Indian Table Tennis at least managed to overcome the first round hurdle and reach round 3. Any progress is good progress afterall.
After the end of Rio 2016, Sharath Kamal had stated that this would be his last Olympics. But, in five years, he managed to change his decision through a string of magnificent performances. Sharath Kamal is a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, winning the top prize in 2006, 2019 and 2018. He has secured bronze in the Asian Games, albeit in mixed and doubles teams. The Chennai player has won all disciplines in Commonwealth while in the doubles and mixed in the Asian Games, he has secured bronze and silver.
Batra is 26 years of age and has also secured the gold in the singes and team event in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Her first experience of the Olympics has been satisfactory but she will be sad with the way how she lost the third round. Those performances put the Indian Table Tennis scene in a good frame of mind.
But, with Sharath Kamal now past 39, three years is a massive amount of time. Paris 2024 might be too far-fetched to even dream about it. Once again people may ask why are the standards lowered in Table Tennis for India? The problem is that China’s dominance of the sport is so total that any other nation’s achievements is belittled. In the 33-year history of Table Tennis in the Olympics, China has won 53 out of 100 medals and has won 28 gold. One more fact, only two nations have ever won gold in Table Tennis apart from China.
Sharath Kamal’s achievements in Table Tennis in India are monumental. It is sad that he could not get past Ma Long. Had that happened, it would have changed the entire landscape of Table Tennis in the world.
