I am sure you will go all out for medal in Tokyo: Sanju Samson to Sharath Kamal

Veteran table tennis player Sharath Kamal believes that the Indian team enjoys a chance to win a medal in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, highlighting the giant strides made in the past few years. Kamal highlighted the Bronze medals at the Asian Games as an indication of the progress that the nation has made in the sport. The 38-year-old further hailed the presence of exciting players in the ranks, stating that they believe in themselves being well aware of the high expectations and immense pressure.

“In the past few years, we’ve made giant strides, and winning the Bronze medals at the Asian Games was an indication of how far we have come. I believe we have the chance to really get a medal now in Tokyo because our real competition has always been the other Asian countries. We have some exciting players in our ranks, expectations are high and the pressure is definitely there, but we believe in ourselves,” he said in a virtual interaction with Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson.

“The one year break did put a halt to my preparations for quite some time because I had started preparing in 2019, but had to stop mid-way. I picked it up again in August 2020, and right now, I’m in the national camp and another 15-20 days to go before we get to Tokyo for the big thing.”

Kamal was invited for an Instagram Live session by the Rajasthan-based franchise, with the event hosted by Samson. The objective of such an interaction is to support and highlight other sports and sportspersons participating in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

“India is definitely proud to have had an athlete like you”

“India is definitely proud to have had an athlete like you representing us in some of the biggest tournaments around the world. With four Commonwealth Games’ Gold Medals, two Asian Games’ Medals and also the prestigious Arjuna and Padma Shri Awards to your name, you’ve been an inspiration to so many of us and I am sure you will go all out for an Olympic Medal in Tokyo,” said Samson, while introducing the 38-year-old.

“I remember at the age of 10, my father would watch the Olympics very nervously, and I would sit with him to watch some hockey matches when the legendary Dhanraj Pillay was playing. We would watch other sports also, and over time, I’ve developed a huge liking for all the sports. I will certainly be watching these Games very closely and supporting you all,” added the cricketer.

Kamal wished Samson luck for the upcoming away series in Sri Lanka.

“It’s a huge opportunity for you, and I am sure that you will be making the most of it, and helping us win some matches. Your performances with the Rajasthan Royals earlier this season were scintillating, and maybe I will start supporting the Royals from now on (laughs),” stated the record nine-time national table tennis champion.

The two athletes further went on to discuss Tamil & Malayalam movies with Samson stating that he was a huge fan of South Indian superstar Rajnikanth.