India's star table tennis player, Sharath Kamal, has announced that he will be retiring from the sport after competing in the WTT Star Contender in Chennai. The tournament will be the last of his career and will be played from March 25 to 30. Kamal is one of the most decorated paddlers in India, having won a host of medals in Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and also representing the country at the Olympics a staggering five times.
The 42-year-old won seven gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in different categories. He also won three silver and as many bronze medals at the CWG. He also secured a bronze medal twice at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakata and secured four bronze medals at the Asian Championships during his much-talked-about career.
For the unversed, Kamal claimed his first-ever national title in 2003 and secured his maiden international medal at the 2004 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. Six years later, the paddler created history to become the first Indian table tennis player to win an ITTF Pro Tour title in the Egypt Open, defeating Hong Kong's Li Ching in the final.
Sharath Kamal has been honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Padma Shri and Arjuna awards for his contribution to India’s table tennis.
As for the WTT Star Contender, the tournament is happening in India for the first time and Sharath Kamal is looking forward to playing for one last time at home. "In India, I have always played well in all the tournaments that have happened. I am looking forward one more time to do well at the WTT Star Contender and at the same time, it's a great opportunity for the Indian fraternity and young talents to have this experience and be part of such a big tournament. This is the first international tournament in Chennai and this will be my last international tournament for the national team. Looking forward to coming up with a good performance in Chennai," Kamal said while announcing his retirement.