Sharath Kamal Traces Sporting Roots in Madras at Madras Day Event

Five-time Olympian and retired table tennis star Sharath Kamal reflected on his sporting journey and his early days as a railway ticket examiner at Mambalam station during 'The Sporting Side' talk, organised by Madras Musings to celebrate Madras Day.

In conversation with Srinivasa Ramanujam, Deputy Editor of The Hindu (Metroplus), the ace paddler spoke about his roots in the city and how he used to cycle from Choolaimedu to Mylapore to attend training sessions. He credited the city's sporting ecosystem and club culture for shaping his career, noting that the focus on holistic development rather than just individual growth helped hone his skills.

Sharath shared that watching the 2016 film MS Dhoni: The Untold Story moved him to tears because of the parallels with his own life. Like Dhoni, Sharath once worked as a railway Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) at the Mambalam railway station before breaking through in international sport. He recounted sitting on benches at stations across Madras, watching trains pass by and wondering about his future before finding major success in table tennis.

An alumnus of Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan and Loyola College, Sharath rose through the ranks to represent India at the highest international level, establishing himself as a key figure on the world table tennis circuit. During his years of living and training abroad in Europe, primarily in Germany, he recalled missing the city and his mother's cooking.

Following his retirement from competitive table tennis, Sharath is now working to give back to the sport. He is involved with a High Performance centre at Melkottaiyur, a training facility established to nurture the next generation of players. He noted that while winning an Olympic medal remained his unfulfilled dream, he hopes to realize that ambition through the young athletes training at the facility.