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Sharath confident of good show at the Olympics

Sports Reporter

Chennai: Commonwealth table tennis gold medalist Sharath Kamal, who qualified for the Beijing Olympics this year, was optimistic of his chances at the world’s biggest sporting event.

Speaking at a function held by the SDAT-AKG Table Tennis Development Centre to celebrate the 25th year of coaching by the Rao Brothers — A. Srinivas Rao, NIS coach, and A. Muralidhara Rao — Sharath said, “I made it to the second round in the 2004 Games. If I continue to perform like I have now, then I might have a couple of good wins. Let’s hope for the best.”

Impressive results

He’s had some impressive results recently in South America, where he beat World No. 26 Tang Peng in the Pro Tour.

Belarusian coach Alexsey Efermov has travelled with Sharath since January, and will be a part of his Olympic campaign. The 25-year-old has been training in Europe for the last two years, and has spent the last two month playing in the league in Spain.

The time spent in Spain included match-play, fitness training, video analysis and mental conditioning. The expenses have been taken care of by SAI.

Competitive league

“The league there is very competitive, and is No.3 in Europe, after Germany and France. The time I’ve spent in Europe has helped me understand their style. I was originally a forehand reliant player, which is a natural in Asia. I’ve improved my backhand now,” said Sharath.

On the areas he is focusing on for the Olympics, he said, “speed and fitness. We’re working on multi-ball training to improve speed.”

Sharath will train in Spain till June, after which he will undergo a two-week training stint either in China or in Europe again.

The SDAT-AKG TTDC, where Sharath trained under the Rao brothers, awarded its performers from last year. The achievements of the academy, its advanced equipments and its performances were highlighted at the occasion.

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