Sharath Kamal
Encyclopedia
Achanta Sharath Kamal is a professional table tennis
player from Tamil Nadu
India. His mother tongue is Telugu
. He won the men's singles gold in the 16th Commonwealth
table tennis
championship held at Kuala Lumpur
in 2004. He is a recipient of the Arjuna award
for the year 2004. He lives in Chennai
and is employed with the Indian Oil Corporation
as an officer. He visits Spain frequently and used to play for a club there called San Sebastian de los Reyes till 2009.
He won the US Open Table Tennis Men's championships held at Grand Rapids, Michigan in July 2010. He won the title defeating the defending champion Thomas Keinath of Slovakia in an epic battle with a final score of 4-3. He also won the won 2010 Egypt open table tennis championship beating Li Ching of Hong Kong in straight sets 11-7, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4, thus becoming first Indian to win singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour. He also captained the Indian men's team that won the team title at the same championship by defeating favourites and nine-time champions England.
He also won the gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne
, beating crowd favourite Australian William Henzell
in the final, apart from helping the Indian team clinch gold in the table tennis team event against Singapore
. He teamed up with Subhajit Saha
to win the Men's Doubles gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
in New Delhi
.
He represented India in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and has been the India No. 1 for four years now. He also has represented the country in the 2006 Asian Games
at Qatar.
In the year 2007 he was the First Indian to win the Pyongyong Invitational Tournament held at Pyongyong, North Korea. This was the 21st edition of the tournament which was held in August 2007.His best performance on the world circuit came up in the Japan Pro Tour helds in June 2007 where he beat World No.19, Lee Jung Woo (South Korea). After this victory he reached his career best ranking of World No. 73 and in January 2011 his ranking is 40. Incidentally, Sharath was the only Indian Men's Table Tennis player to be selected for the Beijing Olympics.
In the season 2010/2011 he also plays in the German major league (Bundesliga) for TSV Graefelfing
and has been one of the best players in the league with wins over top players like Christian Süß of Germany.
He is an alumnus of PSBB Nungambakkam school (class of 2000) and Loyola College, Chennai
.
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player from Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
India. His mother tongue is Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
. He won the men's singles gold in the 16th Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
championship held at Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
in 2004. He is a recipient of the Arjuna award
Arjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
for the year 2004. He lives in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and is employed with the Indian Oil Corporation
Indian Oil Corporation
Indian Oil Corporation Limited, or IndianOil, is an Indian state-owned oil and gas corporation with its headquarters are in Mumbai, India. It is India’s largest commercial enterprise, ranked 98th on the Fortune Global 500 list for 2011...
as an officer. He visits Spain frequently and used to play for a club there called San Sebastian de los Reyes till 2009.
He won the US Open Table Tennis Men's championships held at Grand Rapids, Michigan in July 2010. He won the title defeating the defending champion Thomas Keinath of Slovakia in an epic battle with a final score of 4-3. He also won the won 2010 Egypt open table tennis championship beating Li Ching of Hong Kong in straight sets 11-7, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4, thus becoming first Indian to win singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour. He also captained the Indian men's team that won the team title at the same championship by defeating favourites and nine-time champions England.
He also won the gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, beating crowd favourite Australian William Henzell
William Henzell
William Henzell is a right-handed Australian Table Tennis player. He was born in Adelaide and moved to Sweden at the age of 14. His highest international ranking was 108 in 2010. He has represented Australia many times, including securing Australia's first Commonwealth Games table tennis singles...
in the final, apart from helping the Indian team clinch gold in the table tennis team event against Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. He teamed up with Subhajit Saha
Subhajit Saha
Subhajit Saha is a professional table tennis player from West Bengal, India. He won the men's doubles gold in the 19th Commonwealth table tennis championship held at New Delhi in 2010....
to win the Men's Doubles gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
.
He represented India in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and has been the India No. 1 for four years now. He also has represented the country in the 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
at Qatar.
In the year 2007 he was the First Indian to win the Pyongyong Invitational Tournament held at Pyongyong, North Korea. This was the 21st edition of the tournament which was held in August 2007.His best performance on the world circuit came up in the Japan Pro Tour helds in June 2007 where he beat World No.19, Lee Jung Woo (South Korea). After this victory he reached his career best ranking of World No. 73 and in January 2011 his ranking is 40. Incidentally, Sharath was the only Indian Men's Table Tennis player to be selected for the Beijing Olympics.
In the season 2010/2011 he also plays in the German major league (Bundesliga) for TSV Graefelfing
Gräfelfing
Gräfelfing is a municipality in the district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located 1 km west of Munich .The name "Gräfelfing" first appears as "Grevolvinga", which as per one hypothesis could possibly name a tribe leader named "grey wolf" .Gräfelfing is ranked on the 5th...
and has been one of the best players in the league with wins over top players like Christian Süß of Germany.
He is an alumnus of PSBB Nungambakkam school (class of 2000) and Loyola College, Chennai
Loyola College, Chennai
Loyola College is a Jesuit institution in Chennai, India. The college admits undergraduates and post-graduates and offers degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and commerce. It is an autonomous institution affiliated with the University of Madras.-History:...
.