In His Fifth Olympics, Sharath Kamal Feels His Best Is Yet To Come

Set for his fifth Olympic appearance in Paris, Indian flagbearer Achanta Sharath Kamal feels he is scaling new heights with each passing year and believes his "best is yet to come." The 41-year-old turned the clock back to win three gold medals, including one in men's singles, at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. He returned empty-handed at last year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, but Sharath helped Indian men's team clinch a historic Paris Olympics quota via world rankings following their last-16 finish at the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan in February.

"I am happy that I'm scaling new heights with each passing year, besides improving both physically and mentally. I hope the best is yet to come," the top-ranked Indian told PTI.

"To highlight one particular achievement from my career would not do justice to my other achievements. The Asian Games bronze (Jakarta 2018) and Commonwealth Games gold are two of the highs of my career," said the Sharath, who boasts of 13 CWG medals in his cabinet.

"I'm pretty sure I haven't left any stone unturned. I have done everything possible from my side, and I hope the results will follow," added Sharath, who has climbed from being world No 88 to 34 in ITTF rankings.

Having begun his Olympic journey at Athens 2004 as a 21-year-old, Sharath dreams of a podium finish after reuniting with Italian coach Massimo Costantini.

"Back then, I didn't know what getting into the Olympics was. But I have built up into the player I am right now, and hopefully, in my fifth Olympics, I have a chance to get that medal. And once that happens, I can be truly satisfied with my career," he reckoned.

The 66-year-old had coached India from 2009-2010 and from 2016-2018 was part of their success at