‘If Achanta Sharath Kamal was a country…’ A different view on the veteran paddler’s performance at the CWG 2022
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Achanta Sharath Kamal won four medals (three gold and one silver). He contributed to India’s overall medal tally of 61. If Achanta were a nation, he would have finished 16th in the overall medals tally.
Achanta Sharath Kamal is still going strong at the age of 40. The experienced paddler finished the 2022 Commonwealth Games with four medals, three of which were gold. What’s more, Achanta’s gold haul puts her ahead of numerous nations on the overall medals list at the Birmingham Games, including Pakistan, Samoa, Barbados, Ghana, Bermuda, Cameroon, and others.
Achanta Sharath Kamal was near-perfect during the Commonwealth Games campaign. The only occasion he stumbled was in the men’s doubles final with partner Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. A setback in the top clash forced the Indian tandem to settle for silver; else, Achanta would have secured four gold medals from the Birmingham Games.
Even with one silver and three gold medals, the Tamil Nadu paddler is well ahead of numerous nations that could not do what the Indians did alone.
Achanta wanted to accomplish something spectacular in his final match in Birmingham, and he didn’t give up hope despite falling down early in the game. He defeated England’s Liam Pitchford 11-13, 11-7, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8 in a spectacular comeback.
It’s worth noting that Achanta and Sathiyan had previously lost to the English team of Pitchford and Paul Drinkhall in the men’s doubles final. While Achanta defeated Pitchford in the gold medal match, Sathiyan defeated Drinkhall in the bronze medal match to complete India’s retaliation against the English pair.
Aside from winning gold in men’s singles and silver in men’s doubles, Achanta also won gold in mixed doubles with Sreeja Akula representing India. Previously, the Indian Table Tennis team won the men’s team gold medal.
Achanta’s four medals helped India finish fourth in the Birmingham Games with a total of 61 medals. In comparison, India came away from the 2018 Gold Coast Games with 66 medals. However, earning 61 medals without shooting or archery is a significant feat in and of itself.